Definition of Bone marrow transplant

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Bone marrow transplant: A procedure in which bone marrow that is diseased or damaged is replaced with healthy bone marrow. The bone marrow to be replaced may be deliberately destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

The replacement marrow may be the patient's own marrow or it may come from another person. If the marrow comes from the patient. it is called an autologous bone marrow transplant. If the marrow is from an identical twin, it is termed a syngeneic transplant. And if the marrow is from a donor who is not an identical twin, the procedure is an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Most bone marrow transplants today are allogeneic.

Bone marrow transplant is abbreviated BMT.