Bone Marrow Transplantation in Israel

Professor Ofer Spielberg

head of the Institute of Hematology and Oncohematology

Bone marrow transplantation in Israel is performed for patients suffering from malignant anemias, leukemias, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, and many other types of cancer, at the highest level. The percentage of successfully performed procedures here is higher than in European countries or the USA. The doctors at Ichilov have access to excellently equipped diagnostic laboratories, and the clinic's hematologists use the latest medications that reliably prevent the rejection of transplanted cells and the development of infectious complications. Patient care is carried out according to comprehensive protocols, in comfortable and spacious wards equipped with all necessary facilities.

Calculate treatment cost

100%

accuracy of preliminary diagnosis

91%

of bone marrow transplants were completely without complications

82%

of patients fully recovered after bone marrow transplantation

Table of Contents

Reviews

Methods

Stages

Diagnosis

Prices

At Top Ichilov, the success of this procedure is ensured by the many years of experience of the best hematologists in the country, under whose guidance the diagnosis, preparation for the procedure, and subsequent monitoring of the patient's condition take place.

Leukemia treatment at Top Ichilov using bone marrow transplantation is performed by:

• leading hematologist Dr. Odelia Gur;
• pediatric hematologist Dr. Dror Levin.

Bone Marrow Transplantation: How It Happens in Israel and Its Advantages

Bone Marrow Transplantation – Advanced Technique for Fighting Blood Cancer

Bone marrow is the hematopoietic tissue of the body, from which normal formed elements of blood (platelets, erythrocytes, leukocytes) grow from stem cells. During the treatment of oncological diseases of the hematopoietic system (leukemia, myeloma), these cells die after intensive chemotherapy. Bone marrow transplantation in Israel, taken from the patient before the start of treatment, allows for rapid recovery of hematopoietic function.

Bone marrow transplantation for leukemia, the cost of this procedure is significantly lower than in Europe and the USA, is performed according to an individual protocol. Leukemia treatment at Top Ichilov in Israel includes several types of this procedure:

• Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. In Israel, donor material is used for allogeneic transplantation. The procedure is very complex, not so much technically, but in terms of finding compatible donor material. Thanks to a vast donor material database at Top Ichilov, this type of transplantation is successfully and quickly performed, but the examination before the procedure may take a longer time. After bone marrow transplantation, the patient in Israel requires careful and constant monitoring by a specialist.

Allogeneic BMT is usually recommended as treatment for the following conditions:

• Severe aplastic anemia
• Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), if there has been a relapse
• In some types of ALL in the 1st remission, if diagnostic signs suggest a very high risk of relapse
• In acute myeloid leukemia, either in the 1st remission or after relapse
• In chronic myeloblastic leukemia, when it is still in a stable phase of the disease, usually in the first year after diagnosis
• In cases of congenital immunodeficiency diseases, such as:
• Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
• Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS)
• Bare lymphocyte syndrome

• Autologous bone marrow transplantation. For transplantation, the patient's own bone marrow is used. The material is extracted from the femur under general anesthesia. The cells are frozen until the operation is performed. Before the surgical intervention, the patient undergoes a course of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, along with a series of control tests (general and biochemical blood tests). Autologous bone marrow transplantation in Israel (the cost of this procedure is much lower than in the USA) is performed by intravenous administration of a suspension of previously harvested bone marrow cells under strict control of a transfusion physician.
• Syngeneic BMT is a type of transplantation from one identical twin to another. This transplantation is essentially the same as autologous because the donor's bone marrow is identical to the patient's bone marrow. Syngeneic BMT is used to treat diseases such as aplastic anemia, leukemia, and other types of cancer, but not for treating hereditary diseases such as immunodeficiency.

In any method of transplantation, supportive immunotherapy is simultaneously conducted, as well as treatment aimed at eliminating transplant rejection reactions.

Bone Marrow Transplantation in Israel: Stages of the Procedure

The entire treatment period, including hospitalization and surgery, takes a month, but the patient must be under observation for another two months, with mandatory outpatient visits to a specialist. In total, this labor-intensive procedure requires a stay in the clinic of about 3 months.

• First stage– preoperative chemotherapy. The course of chemotherapy is conducted according to strict indications.
• Second stage– hospitalization of the patient during the waiting period for the operation. Includes constant monitoring.
• Third stage– selection of a compatible donor. This stage includes selecting an unrelated donor, examination, trial collection of material, conducting tests and studies for compatibility with the recipient.
• Fourth stage – transplantation of bone marrow cells, either donor or autologous.

After bone marrow transplantation, the patient is monitored by experienced hematologists, as the transplanted marrow does not immediately begin to produce healthy blood cells. During this period, hematologists need to carefully and comprehensively monitor the patient's overall condition to prevent the development of inflammatory processes. In Israel, after the procedure, the recipient remains in sterile conditions until the bone marrow adaptation process is completed and the production of normal healthy blood cells begins.

Transplantation allows for a rapid restoration of the production of healthy blood cells, which is disrupted in leukemia. Leukemia is characterized by the release of immature cells into the bloodstream in huge quantities. The clinic's equipment and the high level of physician qualifications allow for such a complex procedure to be performed without complications, and the cost of bone marrow transplantation in Israel is much lower than in clinics of similar level in Europe and the USA.

Diagnostics Before the Procedure

Bone marrow transplantation in Israel begins with a comprehensive examination, which includes consultations with specialists, radiological examinations, lung function testing, bone system scanning, MUGA tests, CT, ultrasound, bone marrow biopsy, research using radioisotopes, etc.

Best Doctors for Bone Marrow Transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation at the clinic is performed by experienced professionals whose skills and expertise minimize the risk of rejection reactions and significantly increase the survival rate of patients with malignant pathologies of the hematopoietic system.

Professor Ella Naparstek — an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of acute and chronic types of leukemia, including the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The professor has extensive experience in performing both allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation (respectively — donor and autologous biological material), with over 150 scientific publications on this topic. The doctor is a member of several dozen specialized medical organizations, including the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, as well as several international organizations focused on experimental hematology.

Professor Ron Nam — an expert in hematology and bone marrow transplantation. The professor specialized at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington (USA). The doctor periodically lectures at the medical faculty of Tel Aviv University and is the coordinator of the university's hematology section. The professor has authored more than forty fundamental publications on the search for treatment methods for lymphoma, leukemia, neutropenia, and other blood diseases.

Ronit El-Hassid — one of the leading specialists in bone marrow transplantation in children. Throughout her clinical career, the doctor has performed over three hundred such procedures, made several dozen scientific presentations at major international conferences, and written about 50 publications on the treatment of malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The doctor is a member of the Israeli Association of Pediatric Oncohematology and has held leadership positions in various Israeli clinics.

Michael Shapira — a professor with over twenty years of clinical experience, whose name is well known to tens of thousands of patients from different countries who have managed to overcome leukemia or myeloma. The doctor has extensive experience in performing bone marrow transplantation and is the author of several new methods for transplanting blood stem cells to older patients. He is one of the participants in the program for developing promising methods for preventing complications typical of bone marrow transplantation (graft-versus-host reaction).

Prices for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Israel