From a clinical perspective explain how the logistics of organ transplantation differ from those for a bone marrow transplant

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

First, the medical specialists involved in carrying out the transplant and overseeing the post-transplant regimen are different for organ transplantation and for bone marrow transplantation. Patients receiving organ transplants will have transplant surgeons and physicians, whereas bone marrow recipients will consult with hematologists, oncologists, and radiologists. Second, the requirement for HLA matching and immunosuppressive therapy in organ transplantation depends on which organ is being transplanted. The success of a bone marrow transplant is much more sensitive to HLA mismatches, and the recipient's immune system is not simply immunosuppressed; rather, it is destroyed by myeloablative therapy involving chemotherapy and irradiation. Third, the pool of potential bone marrow donors is larger than the demand, unlike organ donations, for which thousands of patients are on waiting lists. Finally, the bone marrow donor is alive and healthy, whereas organ donors are on life support or have experienced a fatal accident.