PBSC vs Marrow: What’s the Difference?
The words marrow and stem cells are always thrown around, but it has come to our attention that many people are actually unaware of what the true meaning of marrow is and how it's different from the many other things that we deal with. On today’s blog post we’ll be discussing the difference between bone marrow and Peripheral Blood Stem Cells, or PBSC. When registering you have the possibility of undergoing one of 2 different donation procedures. Depending on the need of the patient, you’ll either have to donate bone marrow or PBSC to the patient. Both donation procedures are different in terms of the length of the procedure, and the way that it impacts your body for 2 days post procedure. In most cases, 79% of the time, a PBSC donation occurs, and in the remaining 21% of the time a bone marrow donation occurs; however, doctors always choose the procedure that is most effective for the patient and donor.
Bone Marrow
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue within your bones that produces blood stem cells. It’s unlikely that you’ll have to undergo this procedure, due to the fact that a marrow transplant is only required when the patient needs a higher concentration of stem cells. For marrow donation, the donor is sedated under anesthesia in a hospital and marrow is extracted from the hip joint or pelvic bone. While this procedure may sound intense, breakthroughs in marrow retrieval technology have made it to where the donor can get back to their normal schedule in only 2-7 days, a much shorter recovery period than ever before. After new these new innovations, almost all marrow donors have reported feeling little to no pain, and only experiencing slight soreness in their hip area following donation. Here is a quote from a marrow donor describing the process:
“Overall, the process was easier than having my wisdom teeth removed.”
With many being discouraged from joining the registry due to preconceived ideas about marrow donation being painful and invasive, it is important that people be made aware of the relatively easy and painless nature of marrow donation following recent breakthroughs. This way, patients have a better chance of finding their life-saving match.
Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC)
PBSC are the blood stem cells that bone marrow produces. These can also be found circulating through the human bloodstream. A stem cell transplant is the most common transplant procedure because of its simplicity for all parties involved, as well as the fact that it can also be used when the patient does not require a high concentration of stem cells. To prepare for donation, the patient in need undergos rounds of chemotherapy, and this chemotherapy kills the stem cells inside the patient's body. Following this, the stem cells are taken from the donor’s bloodstream through a method highly similar to donating blood, and then given to the patient through a drip to their bloodstream. This allows their immune system to start slowly recovering. These stem cells slowly adapt to the patient's blood type, and if all the correct HLA matching has occurred, the stem cells will allow the bone marrow to start properly functioning again. These factors, in addition to the shortened recovery time allowed by this procedure, make this an extremely effective and efficient procedure for everyone involved.
Recovery
The recovery process for both of these procedures is relatively quick and easy, with most donors having minimal pain following donation due to the new medical innovations with stem cell donation. Donors are able to return to work/full functionality with only about a couple of hours of rest for PBSC donors, and 2-7 days of non-strenuous activity for marrow donors.
Be on the lookout for our next blog post on August 1!
