Turkey is a highly preferred destination for international patients seeking advanced medical care. Bone marrow transplant (BMT) in Turkey is a safe and effective procedure with an excellent success rate. The cost-effective healthcare packages offered by Turkish hospitals lower the overall expense of the treatment. This helps patients from abroad save significant money for BMT in Turkey compared to other countries.
How Much Does a Bone Marrow Transplant Cost in Turkey?
Bone marrow transplant cost range from USD 58,500 to USD 71,500 in Turkey
| Treatment | Cost |
| Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant | USD 54000 to USD 66000 |
| Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant | USD 18000 to USD 22000 |
| Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant | USD 58500 to USD 71500 |
What is BMT?
Bone marrow, a soft, spongy tissue present inside the bones, has a crucial role in forming blood cells, including:
- Red Blood Cells (RBCs) carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body
- White Blood Cells (WBCs) to fight against infection
- Platelets for the formation of clots
BMT is a procedure used for implanting healthy hematopoietic cells into a patient's body to resume the process of hematopoiesis.
Types Of Bone Marrow Transplants
Syngeneic Transplant
When the donor is an identical twin of the patient, it is the simplest and most direct way to obtain stem cells. Syngeneic transplants are the least complicated transplants because there is no risk of rejection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), or tumors in the marrow. Blood cell recovery and return of immune system functioning are prompt.
The only disadvantage of syngeneic transplants is the lack of the graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect of allogeneic transplants that help reduce tumor relapse.
Allogeneic Transplant
An allogeneic donor is one other than the patient. These have the lowest risk of tumor relapse because of the GVL effect. However, GVHD (where the new transplanted immune system sees the patient as foreign), graft failure, and immune deficiency are potential problems.
Allogeneic donors are chosen based on a blood test for human leukocyte antigens (HLA). A matched donor, a relative (usually a brother or sister), or an unrelated individual from a registry shares all 12 HLA-antigens with the patients. Allogeneic transplants have historically utilized matched donors because HLA mismatches were associated with high risks of GVHD.
Autologous Transplant
The term 'auto' means self. Therefore, as the name suggests, autologous transplant involves using one's cells. The cells are harvested long before beginning a high-dose therapy treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Once the treatment is completed, your cells are restored into your body.
Like syngeneic transplants, there is no risk of rejection or GVHD, and the GVL effect is absent. There is the additional concern of tumor contamination during the transplant. This may be a relatively minor concern for certain solid tumors but is a significant problem for some solid tumors and all blood cancers.
Haploidentical Transplant
Many patients needing a transplant will not have a matched family member or unrelated donor. A half-identical, or haploidentical, related donor transplant can be performed with similar outcomes to that seen with matched transplants.
All parents and children, and about half of siblings, are half-matches. The ability to perform haploidentical transplants has revolutionized bone marrow transplants so that almost everyone needing a transplant can get one.
Umbilical Cord Blood
Another source of stem cells for transplantation is partially-matched cord blood. This type of transplant has become standard-of-care for children needing transplantation, but because of the small size of cord blood transplants, it is still under research in adults.
Health Conditions That May Demand Bone Marrow Transplant
BMTs are required when a person's marrow isn't properly functioning. Several chronic infections, diseases, or cancer treatments could be responsible for unhealthy bone marrow. Certain health conditions may require BMT, and they are:
- Leukemia - cancer that develops in the white blood cells of the immune system
- Lymphoma - cancer of the lymphatic system
- Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) - a set of blood cancers where the bone marrow produces abnormal blood cells due to malfunctioning
- Myeloma - cancer that develops in WBCs called plasma cells
It also treats other blood conditions such as Aplastic Anemia, Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Congenital Neutropenia, etc.
What Are The Side Effects of Bone Marrow Transplant?
As BMT is a major medical procedure, therefore, it may come with a package of risks, including:
- Mouth and throat pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Infections
- Bleeding and transfusions
- Fluctuating blood pressure
- Headache
- Pain
- Shortness of breath
- Feverish chills
- Interstitial pneumonitis and other lung problems
- Graft-versus-host disease
- Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD)
- Graft Failure
Transplant problems that may show up later include the following:
- Organ damage
- Relapse (cancer comes back)
- Secondary (new) cancers
- Abnormal growth of lymph tissues
- Infertility
- Cataracts (clouding of the eye lens causes vision loss)
- Hormone changes, such as changes in the thyroid or pituitary gland
If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, you must contact your doctor immediately.
Who Can Be a 100% Match for a Bone Marrow Transplant?
A sibling would be a suitable donor match. The likelihood of your cells aligning with theirs is 1 in 4, referred to as a matched-related donor (MRD) transplant. It is unlikely that any other family member would be a match.
If you are a part match: In some instances, even if your cells only match by 50%, you may still have the opportunity to donate bone marrow to a family member (Haploidentical transplant).
If you're not a match: If you are not a match with your relative, you cannot donate stem cells or bone marrow to them. However, there is still a possibility of finding a match through a matched unrelated donor, someone outside the family.
What is the Success Rate of Bone Marrow Transplants in Turkey?
The success rate of BMT in adults is 97%, and in children, 91%. For an allogeneic transplant, the success rate revolves around 85-90% for a closely matched donor.
Turkey: A 'Rising Star' In Bone Marrow Transplant!
Turkey, one of the most popular medical tourism destinations in the world, is increasingly valued internationally for providing medical services of top quality. There are other factors responsible for making Turkey a choice of country for bone marrow transplants:
- First-rated medical services: The hospitals in Turkey are advanced healthcare centers with modern infrastructure and international standard clinical facilities. Several bone marrow transplant hospitals in turkey and other cities in Turkey are certified by Joint Commission International (JCI).
- Top-Quality Medical Care: Turkish hospitals provide quality healthcare services, especially to international patients. Also, the Turkish Ministry of Health frequently inspects hospitals and clinics to determine whether they are upgrading their cleanliness level, licensing, and other factors.
- Experienced Medical Specialists: Turkey has highly-experienced and well-qualified medical personnel that has a major role in succeeding in healthcare in Turkey. They are well-trained and experienced at the international level.
- Latest Technologies: Surgeons and doctors keep abreast of the latest advancements and technologies in the medical world.
- Low-cost treatment: The price of healthcare packages offered by Turkey hospitals are affordable compared to several other countries, especially the Western nations, but with no compromise on the quality of treatment. It is a prime factor that makes Turkey a popular choice for medical travel worldwide.
Leading Surgeons For Bone Marrow Transplant In Turkey
- Dr. Nevin Yalman: She is a well-known Pediatric Hematologist & Oncologist with over 36 years of rich experience. Her areas of specialization are Pediatric BMT, Stem Cell Therapy of Pediatric Inflammatory Diseases, etc.
- Prof. Dr. Serdar Bedi Omay: He is a Hematologist with over 35 years of experience in the field. He is particularly interested in Acute Leukemia Diagnosis and Treatment, Lymphoma Treatments, Bleeding Disorders, and other related Hematological Disease Treatments.
- Prof. Dr. Gulsan Sucak: He is a Hematologist with over 32 years of experience in the field. Dr. Sucak is well-versed in Acute Leukemia Diagnosis and Treatment, Lymphoma Treatments, Bleeding Disorders, and other related Hematological Disease Treatments, etc.
- Prof. Dr. Buket Erel Del Castello: She is a Pediatric Hematologist with over 31 years of experience in the field. She made significant contributions to the scientific world in these fields with his valuable and devoted studies and research in treating pediatric blood diseases, especially leukemia, thalassemia, and stem cell transplantation.
- Prof. Dr. Tunc Fisgin: He is a Pediatric Hematologist with over 28 years of experience in the field. He is interested in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation, Leukemia, Hemophilia, and Thalassemia.
Conclusion
The life of patients who have undergone transplantation is not much different from the everyday life of an ordinary person. It is necessary to comply with the doctor's prescriptions for some time, but this does not significantly affect the quality of a patient's life. The possibility of a relapse after a bone marrow transplantation does exist. This indicator varies considerably depending on the clinic where the procedure is performed.
The increasing demand for affordable, high-quality medical services has made Turkey a popular medical travel destination. With high achievement rates, Turkish hospitals offer affordable therapy costs. BMT in Turkey is practically half less expensive than in European facilities, making Turkey a leading destination for highly advanced healthcare services, catering to patients from all over the world.
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