What does ABMT mean in TRANSPLANTATION

Adult blood marrow transplantation (ABMT) is a type of stem cell transplant procedure that replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy cells from a donor. It is used to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other blood disorders. The donor’s stem cells migrate to the recipient’s bone marrow where they begin to produce healthy, functional white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

A suitable donor for an ABMT may come from the patient themselves or someone else. In some cases, an identical twin or family member may be used as the donor; in others, an unrelated donor may be found through a national registry match.

Most common risks associated with ABMT include infection or organ rejection due to incompatibility between the recipient and the donor stem cells; graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), which occurs when the transplanted immune system attacks the body’s own tissues; and anesthesia-related side effects. Additionally, there is always a risk of complications related to harvesting of stem cells from either the patient or their donor.

An adult blood marrow transplant procedure typically takes between four to eight hours depending on the complexity of the transplant. During this time period, doctors will harvest stem cells from either the patient or their donor followed by conditioning chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy prior to administering them into the recipient's body through an intravenous infusion process.

Patients undergoing ABMT usually require special medical care afterward in order to help ensure successful engraftment of new stem cells into their bodies as well as monitor for any possible side effects or complications that might occur post-transplantation. This includes regular checkups with their healthcare provider as well as laboratory tests and imaging procedures if necessary.

After going through an adult blood marrow transplant procedure patients will typically spend at least two weeks in a special hematology/oncology unit within a hospital setting receiving specialized care including medication management, nutrition support and monitoring for signs of infection or graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Patients are usually able to return home shortly afterward but must still follow up regularly with their provider in order keep track of their recovery progress.

Long term effects depend on numerous factors such as age, overall health status at time of transplantation and how well a person responds to treatment afterwards but generally speaking many patients experience fatigue that can last weeks/months after returning home in addition to cognitive deficits that persist while recovering from chemo/radiation therapy given prior to transplant itself.

While rare, it is still possible for cancer relapse even after successful transplants due primarily to biological differences between donors and recipients that can ultimately lead to incompatibilities causing cancerous activity later on down line.