The transplant procedure is fraught with risk. Anyone undertaking this risky venture usually does so because the alternatives are so much worse. In general, anyone who undergoes a bone marrow transplantation is someone who will certainly die soon without one.
The specific risks are related to the phase of the procedure and can be divided into effects that are delayed or immediate.
Delayed Effects Long-term toxic effects of high-dose therapy can include cataracts in people receiving total body radiotherapy . Exposure to irradiation also increases the chance of developing other cancers. Delayed effects can also include sterility, although people who've been extensively treated for their cancer before a transplant are often already sterile. But there have been cases where women who have had a bone marrow transplant have conceived and borne healthy children.
Immediate Risks Much more threatening are the risks during and soon after the transplant procedure. The high-dose therapy itself, the damage to the immune system and the reaction of the immune system to the transplanted marrow can all cause dangerous complications.
• Toxic reactions from drugs and irradiation High-dose therapy occasionally has an acute toxic effect on the
heart that can be lethal, although this is quite rare.
