Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells, or leukocytes. Like other blood cells, leukocytes develop from somatic stem cells.
Mature leukocytes are released into the bloodstream, where they work to fight off infections in our bodies. Leukemia results
when leukocytes begin to grow and function abnormally, becoming cancerous. These abnormal cells cannot fight off
infection, and they interfere with the functions of other organs. Successful treatment for leukemia depends on getting rid of
all the abnormal leukocytes in the patient, and allowing healthy cells to grow in their place. One way to do this is through
chemotherapy, which uses drugs to target and kill abnormal cells. When chemotherapy alone is not successful physicians
sometimes turn to bone marrow transplants.
bone marrow transplant includes several steps. Order the
for a
successful transplant to cure leukemia.
A. donor match located
B. a sample of donor bone marrow containing healthy stem cells is introduced into the patient's bloodstream
C. patient's existing bone marrow and abnormal leukocytes are killed using a combination of chemotherapy and
radiation
D. donor stem cells will migrate to patient's bone marrow and begin producing healthy leukocytes