BMT is now becoming an essential part of therapy in many blood cancers as well as other blood diseases: Dr. Rajeshwar Singh

Chandigarh 21 Jan, 2021: To Create awareness on “Blood Cancers and options of Bone Marrow Transplant in North India“  a team of Doctors from Paras Hospitals Panchkula addressed the media person today. Present on the occasion were Dr ( Brig) Ajay Sharma – Director & HOD Hematology, Dr ( Brig) Rajeshwar Singh – Director Medical Oncology & Dr Deepak Singla-,Consultant Medical Oncology, from Paras Hospitals Panchkula.

Bone marrow transplant is the only treatment that can result in long-term survival in patients with Refractory Blood cancer: Dr. Deepak Singla.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Ajay Sharma apprised that Bone Marrow Transplant is a non-surgical procedure in which damaged or diseased stem cells are replaced with healthy stem cells. This complex procedure is performed in very Few Hospitals in India even though the success rate for bone marrow transplants in India is at par with international benchmarks. He shared that India is having 3rd highest number of Hematological Cancers in the World, after the US & China, and India is likely to have 1.17 Lac new cases of Blood cancers every year.

With improved techniques the procedure is becoming more safe and affordable: Dr. Rajeshwar Singh

A bone marrow transplant is usually offered as a solution for certain kinds of cancers as well as some other diseases which affect the production of blood cells. Dr Ajay Sharma also shared that every big city in the United States has 2-3 BMT canters”. In comparison, India, with five times its population, has just a handful of hospitals that 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 very few Specialists, who are trained for BMT.

Dr. Ajay Sharma also said that Paras Hospital would be the first private sector Hospital in Chandigarh Tricity Region,  to start Allogenic as well as Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant. Also, the Center will be conducting Unrelated and haploidentical matches BMTs. The latter is needed when a matched donor is not available in the family.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Rajeshwar Singh said that Bone marrow transplant is the only treatment that can result in long-time survival in patients of Refractory Blood cancer” who do not respond to chemotherapy drugs. He apprised the Media people that there are about 65000 -67000 Thalassemia Major patients in India and every year 9000- 10000 new cases of Thalassemia diagnosed in India every year and BTM is the treatment of choice for Thalassemia cases. In the 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.

Dr( Brig) Rajeshwar further highlighted “Major Indications for Bone Marrow Transplant are: Thalassemia, Aplastic Anemia, Acute Leukemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma & Myelodysplastic syndrome. 

On the occasion, Mr. Ashish Chadha, Facility Director – Paras Hospitals Panchkula shared that Pars Hospital Panchkula is going to offer a complete spectrum of Bone Marrow transplant services, including Autologous & Allogeneic Transplant under one roof and patients of Tricity, Haryana, Himachal & Punjab would be extremely benefitted with our BMT services. He also shared that Max Hospital Shalimarbagh in on a panel of Haryana Govt, Himachal Govt, CGHS, All Major TPAs & Corporates where Patients get Cashless treatment/ Reimbursement for all type of Cancer Treatment at Paras. 

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, Thalassemia, and Sickle Cell Anemia.

Replace the bone marrow when a high dose of chemotherapy or radiation is given to treat the malignancy and then 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.

Cost Comparison of BMT – India Vs West in US $