The immune system is composed of specialized cells such as B cells that make antibodies (protein), T cells that kill pathogens (bacteria, viruses or fungus) and white blood cells that fight off infection. MedlinePlus says that immunodeficiency...
Bone marrow refers to the inner part of the bone where all blood cells are produced. According to the National Institutes of Health, bone marrow can be found in large bones such as the hip and thigh bones. Specifically, it contains stem cells that...
Hodgkin's disease refers to a type of cancer that starts invading the lymphatic system, a special system in the body responsible for carrying white blood cells that fight infection. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that Hodgkin's...
Within the blood of your newborn's umbilical cord and placenta are stem cells. Banking this cord blood can allow for future use as an alternative to bone marrow transplants, the treatment of some cancers, immunodeficiencies, metabolic disorders...
In healthy people, the body forms platelets and white and red blood cells from stem cells that are produced by the bone marrow. If you have certain diseases, such as leukemia, your bone marrow may not make enough of these immune cells to help you...
Acute leukemia, a type of cancer that affects bone marrow, causes immature white blood cells called blast cells to proliferate and crowd out other blood cells. An estimated 42,000 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in...
Sickle Cell anemia is a genetic disease that causes the red blood cells to be abnormally shaped and ineffective in carrying enough blood to the body. Normal red blood cells are round and smooth, but sickle cell anemia causes them to be crescent or...
T-cell lymphoma is actually a group of rare blood cancers, accounting for only about 15 percent of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas in the United States, according to 2008 information from the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Because they are so rare, not...
A bone marrow transplant was at one time considered an experimental treatment. Today it is routinely done as a form of treatment for various types of cancers including different types of leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia. Bone marrow...
Cancer treatment depends on the cancer type, stage, location and the general health of the patient. Cancer treatment modalities include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, bone marrow transplants and laser surgery. The combination of two or more...
There are three types of blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an estimated 139,860 people in the United States were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2009. Every 10 minutes...
Stem cells are cells within the body that are not differentiated, which means they can reproduce and form other cells of varying functions. The only existing treatment currently in clinical practice that utilizes stem cells is a bone marrow...
A diagnosis of multiple myeloma is frightening to most Americans. This plasma cell cancer strikes at any age but is most common in the elderly. Developing a strategy for your healthcare will empower you and allow you to find the most appropriate...
Chemotherapy--using toxic drugs to kill fast-dividing cells--is a common cancer treatment. Upon entering a cancer cell, chemotherapy drugs can damage essential molecules such as DNA, inhibit cellular metabolism, and directly induce cancer cell...
Sex-linked disorders, also known as X-linked diseases, refer to defects in the X chromosome that are inherited and cause certain diseases. According to MedlinePlus, X-linked diseases typically are most severe in males as they only have one X...
Chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, is a blood cancer that is fairly rare in children, according to Children's Hospital Boston. In CML, immature white blood cells crowd out the healthy mature cells in the blood. A bone marrow transplant, or stem...
Bone marrow transplantation is a treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and various immunodeficiency disorders. Since the adverse side effects of this treatment are so extreme, it is usually attempted when other treatments have...
Hodgkin's Lymphoma is cancer of the lymph system. Symptoms may vary depending on how far the disease has spread. At first the symptoms may be vague and feel like the flu. A person may experience fatigue, fever and weight loss. Itching and night...
Acute Myeloid Leukemia or AML is a form of blood cancer. Patients with AML have too many granulocytes, a type of white blood cell generated from a population of stem cells within the bone marrow. In AML, bone marrow cells become mutated and give...
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is also known as ALL, is a disorder that arises from some of the cells in the bone marrow. This type of cancer causes the bone marrow to make too many lymphoblasts, which are cells that are precursors to white...
Doctors treat diseases caused by insufficient or defective blood cells with bone marrow transplants when other treatment options have failed. This procedure is commonly associated with cancer treatments, specifically for patients suffering from...
Leukemia refers to a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, or the soft, spongy tissue found in the central cavities of the bones. The bone marrow produces red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Leukemia causes the bone...
Myelofibrosis is a condition that develops when the bone marrow stem cells that produce blood become replaced by fibrous tissue. This internal scarring of the bone marrow and the changes in these cells can develop into acute myeloid leukemia, also...
If you are a candidate for a bone marrow transplant, or BMT, your doctor might discuss the use of probiotics. There is currently no formal consensus among transplant centers concerning the use of probiotics in BMT, but some centers do use them in...
The book, "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" says that, cytomegalovirus can cause: mononucleosis; pneumonia in approximately 20 percent of bone marrow transplant patients; and inflammation of the retina, or retinitis In HIV infected...
Osteopetrosis is a group of rare diseases in which bone is not remodeled, causing the bone to become denser but more prone to fracture. St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital estimates the most severe form of osteoporosis affects only 20 babies...
A diagnosis of ovarian cancer becomes a frightening reality for many women each year. Fighting this fear with knowledge and words of encouragement can guide a woman toward recovery. For others, acceptance of the diagnosis is an appropriate goal....
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, which is a part of the immune system. According to the American Cancer Society, there are two kinds of lymphomas that can occur in childhood: Hodgkins disease and Non-Hodgkins...
Bone marrow is a soft tissue within the long bones of the body. It houses the stem cells that give rise to the red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that provide immunity and platelets, which help blood clotting. Disorders of the...
