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Preparing for consultation & BMT transplant
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) & CAR-T Cell Therapy | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (37)Comment receiving replies
My Husband aged 40 diagnosed with AML last month , done with the 6 Chemo in University of Alberta Hospital . All Bone marrow Biopsy and Spinal Biopsy done well. Doctor said chances of 50% for BMT ,waiting till next month for the Confirmation. My Son is 17 yrs and ready as a Donor .If anyone can share How the things work after BMT like side effects and How to cope up also I hope it is safe for my Son Future. After How Many years He will be Cancer Free. Please answer me
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Hello @anitasharma I’m so sorry to hear your husband has AML. I began all of that drama 6 years ago this month. It’s not an easy journey by any means, for the patient or caregiver!
Depending on the mutations behind your husband’s AML, a bone marrow transplant (Allogenic stem cell transplant) may be the ideal outcome for him. Some mutations are more likely to cause a relapse in the disease, making it more difficult to treat going forward. However there are some mutations where the chemo is enough and no BMT is required.
A bone marrow transplant remains the only potential cure for AML at this time. I had a transplant following my treatment for AML. I am almost 6 years post transplant, 71 years young and living an amazing 2nd life! My life expectancy now is that of someone who wasn’t diagnosed with cancer. Generally speaking, a BMT patient is considered ‘cured’ if there is no recurrence of the AML after 5 years.
Your husband, being very young, would most likely go on to live a full and healthy life if all goes according to plan. Bone marrow transplants, through research, data and patient experiences keep being fine-tuned for less side effects and successful outcomes.
If your son can be the donor, he’d be literally giving his father the gift of life. With the donation, for your son, there is very little risk of side effects. The process for harvesting stem cells is getting to be very routine. He most likely would be given meds the week before which would help stimulate growth of more stem cells. When it’s time to collect the cells, the process is very similar to donating blood. However, it takes a little longer as his blood would be filtered through a machine with a closed loop. The stem cells are collected from the blood as it passes through the machine and the blood is then returned immediately to the donor sans stem cells.
For your husband, the commitment is greater. Having a BMT takes time to recover and heal. There will be a period where he and a caregiver will be required to be near the transplant center for a required amount of time. Depends on the protocol of the hospital. All of it will sound a bit overwhelming as you learn more about the process. But it is doable and definitely worth the effort.
When you say your husband is 50% for the bmt, does that mean the doctor isn’t certain he needs it?