- India having 3rd highest number of Hematological cancers in World after US & China and India Likely to have 1.17 Lac new cases of Blood cancer in 2018 – Dr Gaurav Dixit.
- India is facing a severe shortage of bone marrow transplant with just 700 transplants taking place every year and 30000 patients require BMT every year – Dr Vineet Govind Gupta.
- Bone marrow transplant is the only treatment which can result in the long time survival in patients of Refractory Blood cancer.- Dr Gaurav Dixit.
- About 65000 -67000 Thalassemia Major patients in India and every year 9000-10000 new cases of Thalassemia diagnosed I in India every year – Dr Vineet Govind Gupta.
Bhiwani: To Create awareness on “Blood Cancers and options of Bone Marrow Transplant in India“ a team of Doctors from Max Super Specialty Hospital Shalimarbag, New Delhi addressed the media person today. Present on the occasion were Dr Gaurav Dixit Consultant Hematology & Bone Marrow transplant & Dr Vineet Govind Gupta Associate Consultant Medical Oncolgy, from Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimarbagh, New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Gaurav Dixit apprised that Bone Marrow Transplant is a non surgical procedure in which damaged or diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow stem cells. This complex procedure is performed in very Few Hospitals in India but success rate for bone marrow transplants in India is on par with international benchmarks. He shared that India is having 3rd highest number of Hematological cancers in World, after US & China and India is likely to have 1.17 Lac new cases of Blood cancer in 2015.
A bone marrow transplant is usually offered as a solution for certain kinds of cancers as well as some diseases which affect the production of blood cells. Dr Gaurav Dixit also shared that every big city in the United States has 2-3 BMT canters”, which means about 150-200 centres across the country. In comparison, India, with five times its population, has just handful of hospitals which offer Bone Marrow Transplant, as such It isn’t just the disease that kills most blood cancer patients in India – it’s the wait. Another irony is that on a population of 125 Crs India has less than 100 Cancer Specialists, who are trained for BMT.
Major Indications for Bone Marrow Transplant are : Thalassemia, Aplastic Anemia, Acute Leukemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myloma & Myelodysplastic syndrome.
Speaking on th e occasion Dr Vineet Govind Gupta said Bone marrow transplant is the only treatment which can result in the long time survival in patients of Refractory Blood cancer”which do not respond on chemotherapy drugs He also shared that there are about 65000 -67000 Thalassemia Major patients in India and every year 9000- 10000 new cases of Thalassemia diagnosed in India every yearand BTM is the treatment of choice for Thallassemia cases.In BMT procedure, the diseased or damaged bone marrow (a soft, spongy blood forming tissue present in the cavities of bones) is replaced with healthy bone marrow with the replacement marrow mostly from blood relations like brother/sister and parents.
On the occasion, Dr Amardeep Kohli , VP Operations, Max Hospital Shalimarbagh shared that Max Shalimarbagh is going to offer complete spectrum of Bone Marrow transplant services, including Autologus & Allogenic Transplant under one roof and patients of NCR and Haryana would be extremely benefitted with oiur BMT services. He also share that Max Hospital Shalimarbagh in on panel of Haryana Govt, CGHS, ECHS where by Patients get Cashless treatment/ Reimbursement for all type of Cancer Treatment at Max.
Why is a bone marrow transplant needed ?
The main objective of a bone marrow transplant is to cure various diseases and cancer. It may also be required when a person’s bone marrow has been damaged or destroyed due to a disease or intense treatments of radiation or chemotherapy for cancer. A bone marrow transplant may be used to:
· Replace non-functioning bone marrow with a healthy functioning bone marrow. It is generally done in conditions such as leukemia, Aplastic Anemia, and Sickle Cell Anemia.
· Replace the bone marrow when a high dose of chemotherapy or radiation is given to treat a malignancy and than it is restored for its normal function. This procedure may be done for diseases such as Lymphoma, Neuroblastoma and Breast Cancer.
· Replace bone marrow to prevent it from a genetic disease process such as Hurler’s syndrome, and Adrenoleukodystrophy.
