Bone Marrow Harvesting

What is bone marrow harvesting?

• Bone marrow harvesting (BMH) is a procedure to remove bone marrow from a bone. Bone marrow is usually taken from the hipbone or the sternum (breastbone). Bone marrow is soft, spongy tissue inside your bones. It contains many kinds of blood cells, such as stem cells. Stem cells are able to become other cells, such as white or red blood cells. White blood cells help your body fight infection. Red blood cells bring oxygen to all parts of your body.
  
  
• Your bone marrow may be put back inside of you or put into someone else. This is called a bone marrow transplant. BMH and a bone marrow transplant may help you or someone else make healthier blood cells. New bone marrow may help treat people with cancer, such as leukemia (cancer of the blood). It also may help people make more red blood cells. Healthier white blood cells may help people fight infection and be sick less often.

Why might I have bone marrow harvesting?

• If you have cancer, you may have bone marrow harvested from your own bones. You may have BMH if your cancer is in remission (not active). It will then be stored frozen until your body needs it.
  
  
• You may be asked by a sick friend or family member to donate bone marrow for them. You also may be willing to be a volunteer donor through a bone marrow bank. In a bone marrow bank, a sample of your blood is tested and the results are kept on file. If someone who has similar bone marrow needs a transplant, you will be asked to donate. Ask your caregiver how and where you can be a volunteer donor.

What happens before bone marrow harvesting?

Your caregiver will give you a physical exam and ask you about your health history. He may ask you about any diseases or surgeries you have had in the past.

• Your caregiver will do blood tests to check the type of blood that you have. Your blood will be also tested to check the number of different types of cells in your blood. Your caregiver may check your blood for diseases such as diabetes (high blood sugar) and HIV. Your caregiver also may use blood tests to check your organs, such as your liver or kidneys. Your caregiver may do tests, such as an x-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG). If you are female, your caregiver may give you a blood or urine test to see if you are pregnant.
  
  
• A few weeks before your bone marrow is harvested, you may need to donate some of your blood. This blood will be stored for you in a blood bank. You may have this blood put back into your body after bone marrow harvesting. This is called an autologous blood transfusion since you use your own blood and not someone else's blood.

What happens during bone marrow harvesting?

You will be moved to the room where your surgery will be done and put on a special table. You will receive anesthesia medicine to keep you asleep during the procedure. Your body will be cleaned and sheets will be put over you to keep you clean. Your caregiver will put a needle attached to a syringe into your hipbone or sternum. A syringe is a tube that helps remove the bone marrow from your bones. Your caregiver may need to move the needle to another part of your bone to get more marrow. Your caregiver may turn you over to get marrow from the other side of your body. Bandages may be put on the sites where the harvests are made.

What happens to my bone marrow after it is harvested?

Your caregiver may put your harvested bone marrow through mesh cloth to remove bits of fat, blood clots, and bone. If you have cancer, the bone marrow may be treated with radiation or chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells. Your bone marrow may be transplanted into someone else right away. It also may be frozen so that it may be used later by yourself or someone else.

What are the risks of bone marrow harvesting?

• You may need to have this procedure more than once. A needle may break inside of you during the BMH. After the BMH, you may feel more tired than usual. You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit (throw up). Your blood pressure may get low and you may feel dizzy. You may have a rash, bruising, infection, or numbness near the sites where the harvests are made. You may have trouble concentrating and it may be hard for you to sleep. Your body may feel stiff or limp and you may have trouble walking.
  
  
• You may have severe (very bad) pain in your hips, back, chest bone, and legs. You may lose too much blood and need a blood transfusion. Some of your blood vessels may become swollen. Bone tissue or air may travel through your body and block blood vessels in your heart, lungs, and brain. This could cause a heart attack, breathing problems, or a stroke and you could die. If you have cancer, it can get worse without BMH. It may be hard for your body to recover from other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy.

Where can I find support and more information?

You may be scared or worried about what may happen during or after the procedure. You may feel sad for the person needing the bone marrow transplant. These feelings are normal. Talk to your caregivers, family, or friends about your feelings. You also may want to contact any of the following:

• National Marrow Donor Program
  3001 Broadway Street NE, Suite 100
  Minneapolis , MN 55413-1753
  Phone: 1- 888 - 999-6743
  Web Address: http://www.marrow.org
  

• Blood and Marrow Transplant Information Network, BMT InfoNet
  2310 Skokie Valley Road, Suite 104
  Highland Park , IL 60035
  Phone: 1- 888 - 597-7674
  Web Address: http://www.Bmtnews.org
  

Care Agreement

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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