A bone marrow transplant is one therapeutic use of stem
cells. Stems cells in bone marrow give rise to red blood cells, white blood
cells, and platelets, so they can be used to treat patients with cancer. When a
patient goes through chemotherapy, it kills both the cancerous cells and the
healthy cells in the bone marrow. This prevents the patient from being able to
produce blood cells. Before the patient is
treated with chemotherapy, he or she can undergo a bone marrow harvest in which
stem cells are removed from the bone marrow by using a needle which is inserted
into the pelvis. Stem cells can also be
harvested from a matching donor. After the chemotherapy treatment the
patient will have a bone marrow transplant in which the stem cells are
transplanted back into the patient through a drip. These transplanted stem
cells will then find their way back to the bone marrow and start to produce
healthy blood cells in the patient.
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