A 36-year-old member asked:
Sickle cell disease bone marrow transplant. is that working out or not?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Juan Sanabriaanswered
Transplant Surgery 36 years experience
No clear results.: There is not level 1 evidence to show bone marrow transplant increases survival in patients with sickle cell disease. Although there are several reports with success a systematic randomized trial remains to be done. Bone marrow transplant is a procedure with multiple complications. After the procedure the recipient has to take meds for life. Cost/effective therapy analyses are not present.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A Verified Doctoranswered
A US doctor answeredLearn more
For select patients: Bone marrow transplant can cure patients with sickle cell disease, however this procedure has significant risks (including death). There is emerging evidence that the earlier one is transplanted for sickle cell disease, the better the outcome. This is a difficult decision to make since many with sickle cell have mild disease. Deciding who should be transplanted and when is not straight forward.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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A 42-year-old member asked:
What does a bone marrow transplant do for sickle cell?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Emily Luanswered
Family Medicine 7 years experience
Replacing RBCs: Sickle cell disease is caused by a person producing faulty red blood cells (rbcs). Since all blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, a bone marrow transplant from a healthy donor should be able to replace the faulty bone marrow with healthy bone marrow that is able to produce normal red blood cells. However, this is not a common treatment so its clinical efficacy is not well-established.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Sickle cell disease - is it curable with a bone marrow transplant?
3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Keith Stockerl-Goldsteinanswered
Hematology and Oncology 30 years experience
Yes but...: A bone marrow transplant can cure sickle cell disease but the procedure has many serious risks and side effects. Talk with a hematologist about this option.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
How good is the bone marrow transplant for a sickle cell patient?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Joseph Torkildsonanswered
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology 39 years experience
Very!: If a patient with sickle cell disease has a well-matched donor and gets through the transplant procedure safely with good engraftment of the donor bone marrow, they will be converted to normal or sickle trait depending on the donor.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Sep 28, 2016
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