Dangers of Bone Marrow Transplant 

Bone marrow transplants are often used as a way to cure diseases, but a new study finds the procedures may also come with some dangers. Researchers from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, say the procedure may cause the development of tumors.

Bone marrow transplantation has been used for some time to treat a variety of cancerous and non-cancerous disorders. In the past 25 years, the use of bone marrow transplantation has increased each year. The increased use has been perpetuated by the success doctors have had when using this form of treatment. However, while the successes of bone marrow transplantation have been known for a long time, the risks of developing a second tumor after completing the treatment has also been known. Recent studies have indicated that, just as with chemotherapy and irradiation treatment, bone marrow transplantation has a low but significant risk of causing solid tumors.

The question researchers have attempted to answer is whether the solid tumors developing after bone marrow transplantation are caused by this treatment, or by a regimen of chemotherapy and irradiation that occurred prior to bone marrow transplantation. A study at the City of Hope National Medical Center analyzing patients between 1976 and 1998 was conducted to evaluate the role of pre-transplantation therapies such as chemotherapy and irradiation, as well as the bone marrow transplantation regimen itself.

The study indicates that while the pre-transplantation treatment with chemotherapy and irradiation was most significant in the development of cancers of the thyroid gland, liver, and oral cavity, the bone marrow transplantation regimen also increased the risk of developing solid tumors. Also, the longer the bone marrow transplantation continued, the greater the risk of a second cancer.

Based on these findings, the researchers reiterate the importance of close monitoring of patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation treatment.

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