Prof. Dr. Ceyhun Bozkurt, one of the leading specialists in the field of paediatric haematology in Turkey, will visit Bulgaria on 28 October. Assoc. Bozkurt works at one of the busiest bone marrow transplant centers - at the Medical Park Hospitals in Turkey, where about 600 bone marrow transplants are performed annually. The eminent specialist will consult free of charge with young patients in the country at the invitation of the Health Information Center "Medical Karaj", within the framework of their initiative to provide Bulgarian patients with access to the most advanced methods in medicine, partnering with some of the best medical institutions and specialists from around the world.
When and how is a bone marrow transplant done?
Bone marrow transplantation is a complex treatment method and is applied when all other options have been exhausted. In children, bone marrow transplantation is used for malignant diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and neuroblastoma, as well as for benign diseases such as thalassemia major, aplastic anemia, and severe forms of immunodeficiency.
Stem cell transplantation is basically divided into two types - allogeneic transplantation, when the patient's bone marrow is replaced with that of a donor, and autologous transplantation, when the patient's own stem cells are preserved and then transplanted back after high doses of chemotherapy. The transplant process lasts between 30 and 45 days, depending on the specific treatment. Clinical check-ups follow, and we can talk about a return to a normal lifestyle in about 3-6 months.
Experience in recent years shows that success rates for bone marrow transplants are increasingly high.
Bone marrow transplantation - why at Medical Park?
"Our center has a lot of experience in bone marrow transplants. So far we have performed about 300 such procedures. In our facility, the graft-to-mortality ratio in allogeneic transplants ranges between 5-10%, while in autologous transplantation this ratio is 0%," points out Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jeyhun Bozkurt. He works in the Children's Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Medical Park Bahçeliövler Hospital, where 70-75 stem cell transplants are performed annually. "In recent years, our hospital has become a regional centre for the treatment and rescue of children from Turkey, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkan countries," he adds.
Autologous, allogeneic and haploidentical transplants are performed at the hospital, and patients of the institution can take advantage of the opportunity to search for a donor in international registries with more than 38 million donor samples.
Those wishing to take advantage of the opportunity for a free consultation in Sofia with Prof. Dr. Jeyhun Bozkurt should make an appointment in advance at the following numbers "Medical Karaj"0879 977 401 or 0879 977 402, and to provide on the spot any medical records they have to date.
