Cord Blood Transplantation Treatment in Turkey
About Cord Blood Transplantation
Key Highlights
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Utilizes a readily available source of stem cells from donated cord blood.Requires less stringent HLA matching compared to bone marrow transplants, expanding donor options.Associated with a lower risk of severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).Cells are collected non-invasively, stored frozen, and are quickly available when needed.Offers a potentially curative treatment for various blood cancers, immune deficiencies, and metabolic disorders.
Who is this surgery for?
- Leukemias (e.g., Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia).
- Lymphomas (e.g., Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma).
- Severe Aplastic Anemia and other bone marrow failure syndromes.
- Inherited metabolic disorders (e.g., Hurler syndrome, Krabbe disease).
- Primary immunodeficiency diseases (e.g., Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - SCID).
- Certain solid tumors requiring high-dose therapy.
- Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia major.
How to prepare
- Comprehensive medical evaluation including cardiac, pulmonary, and kidney function tests.
- High-dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation (conditioning regimen) to destroy diseased bone marrow and suppress the immune system.
- Identification and selection of a suitable, HLA-matched cord blood unit from a public or private cord blood bank.
- Central venous catheter placement for infusion and medication administration.
- Pre-transplant counseling and informed consent process detailing risks and benefits.
- Prophylactic medications to prevent infections and manage potential side effects.
Risks & possible complications
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), where donor cells attack the recipient's body.
- Graft failure, where the transplanted cells do not engraft and produce new blood cells.
- Increased susceptibility to severe bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
- Organ toxicity from the conditioning regimen (e.g., to the liver, lungs, or heart).
- Mucositis (painful inflammation and ulceration of the mouth and digestive tract).
- Bleeding complications due to low platelet counts.
- Long-term risks include infertility, secondary cancers, and chronic GVHD.
Recovery & hospital stay
- Initial hospital stay in a protective isolation room to prevent infections while the immune system is absent.
- Close monitoring of blood counts, signs of engraftment, and management of side effects like nausea and mucositis.
- Regular blood and platelet transfusions as needed until the new marrow produces its own.
- Gradual immune system reconstitution over several months to a year, requiring ongoing vigilance against infections.
- Long-term follow-up care to monitor for disease recurrence, manage chronic GVHD, and support overall health.
- Lifestyle adjustments, including a strict diet, avoiding crowds, and adhering to medication schedules.
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Typical hospital stay:
4-6 weeks
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Expected recovery time:
6-12 months for full immune recovery
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are considering cord blood transplantation in Turkey, these questions and answers can help you make a confident, informed decision.
Top-rated hospitals in Turkey with transfusion medicine departments and experienced surgeons are ideal for this procedure. Use MediFyr to compare facilities, reviews, and doctor profiles before you decide.
Look at the doctor’s years of experience, hospital association, patient reviews, and how often they perform cord blood transplantation. MediFyr helps you compare transfusion medicine specialists and book consultations online.
The overall cost depends on hospital category, surgeon’s experience, room type, implant or device used (if any), length of stay, tests, and post-operative care. Our team can help you get cost estimates from multiple hospitals before you decide.
Procedure cost in other countries
Here is an overview of how the estimated cost, hospital stay, and recovery time for cord blood transplantation compare across other countries where we have data.
Vihaan Roy, a 9-month-old baby boy,...
Vihaan Roy, a 9-month-old baby boy, was born into a loving family in Mumbai. His parents first noticed something was wrong when he developed persistent fevers and unusual bruising. After a series of tests, he was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a condition where he was born without a functioning immune system. Every common cold was a life-threatening event. His hematologist explained that a cord blood transplant was his best chance at survival, as it could provide him with healthy stem cells to rebuild his immune system. The family was terrified but hopeful. The search for a matching cord blood unit began globally. The infusion itself was quiet and anti-climactic, just a bag of cells administered through his IV line. The hardest part was the weeks of isolation in a sterile hospital room afterward, waiting for the new cells to engraft. His parents took turns staying with him, their world reduced to one room. After 28 days, tests showed the donor cells were growing. Over the next year, Vihaan slowly developed a working immune system. The emotional journey was a rollercoaster of fear, desperate hope during the search, the strain of isolation, and finally, profound relief and joy as he responded to vaccines for the first time, a sign his new immune system was working. He is now a thriving toddler, exploring the world his body can finally defend.