Stem Cell Transplant and Surgery
Many healthy cells in the body can be damaged during chemotherapy. A bone marrow transplant helps replace these cells with healthy ones. There are two options available. In allogeneic transplants, bone marrow is drawn from a donor with a close genetic profile. This is the preferred option. In autologous transplants, the doctor will remove your own bone marrow before chemotherapy and return it later. Several side effects may happen shortly after the procedure, such as throat and mouth pain, vomiting, nausea, infection, bleeding, as well as lung issues. [9]
Since leukemia cells tend to multiply and spread quickly through the blood and bone marrow, surgery may have a very limited effect on treating acute lymphocytic leukemia. It is impossible to cure this form of cancer with only surgery. Instead, this procedure may be needed to insert catheters into the body for chemotherapy, the main treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia. [10]
