KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

Kidney transplantation is a surgical treatment in which a healthy kidney obtained from a living or deceased donor is implanted into a patient with end-stage kidney disease to restore kidney function.

The goal of the transplant is to restore kidney function, such as removing toxins from the blood, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance (balance between water and minerals), and synthesizing hormones, thus avoiding dialysis.

Types of Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplantation is classified based on the type of donor.

Living donor transplantation

In this case, the kidney comes from a healthy person (family member or friend) who voluntarily donates the organ to a loved one. Prior to donation, various medical studies are performed on the donor and recipient to confirm the viability of the donation and their compatibility.

Deceased donor transplantation

Currently, there are different types of deceased donors: brain-dead donors and heart-stopped donors. After the family members’ approval, the viability of the organs to be transplanted is reviewed, and if viable, they are extracted.

HEMATOPOIETIC PROGENITOR TRANSPLANT

Hematopoietic progenitor transplant is a therapeutic procedure used for neoplastic diseases (malignant tumors) or diseases with impaired bone marrow function (the organ responsible for producing blood cells).

This therapy can also be used to treat various immune system diseases, as well as some congenital metabolic disorders.

Traditionally, it has been called a bone marrow transplant because hematopoietic progenitor cells were always obtained from bone marrow. However, nowadays, in most cases, they are extracted from blood and, occasionally, from the umbilical cord and placenta.

These cells are normally found within the bone marrow of bones (especially those of the hip bones, vertebrae, and ribs), but sometimes their number increases in the circulating blood, so they can also be obtained through veins.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation aims to restore the function of the bone marrow (hematopoietic tissue) and allow it to produce blood cells normally.

When is a bone marrow transplant indicated?

It is necessary to replace bone marrow function when it is defective due to disease: multiple myeloma, leukemia, bone marrow aplasia, immunodeficiency, certain types of lymphomas, etc.

Or to alleviate damage to the bone marrow caused by highly toxic treatment for a tumor or immune disease.

Most common indications for this treatment:

  • Multiple myeloma
  • Leukemia
  • Certain lymphomas
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes and some childhood tumors (neuroblastoma, germ cell tumors)
  • Other serious blood diseases such as thalassemia, aplastic anemia, and sickle cell anemia
  • Some immune system diseases

If the patient is eligible, they are assigned one of two protocols: an autologous stem cell transplant or a donor transplant (allogeneic).

Donor Transplant

The donor will be tested to determine if there are any contraindications. The cells are extracted in the Apheresis Unit or in the Operating Room if they are bone marrow and processed in the Cell Therapy Laboratory.

Post-transplant follow-up is conducted in the transplant clinic for 3 months in the case of an autologous transplant and between 6 months and 2 years in the case of an allogeneic transplant.

Autologous Transplant

Before the transplant, treatment with growth factors and/or chemotherapy is administered to mobilize the stem cells, which are extracted in the Apheresis Unit and processed in the Cell Therapy Laboratory.

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