Apollo Cancer Centre, Visakhapatnam, has crossed the 100-transplant mark in its bone marrow transplantation programme, completing more than 100 procedures over the past three years. The milestone highlights the centre’s growing capacity to provide specialised haematology and stem cell transplant services in the region.
The programme has involved coordinated efforts from patients, families, caregivers and multidisciplinary medical and support teams, with care extending from pre-transplant evaluation through recovery and long-term follow-up.
Dr. Rakesh Reddy Boya, Senior Consultant – Medical and Hemato-Oncology and BMT Physician at Apollo Cancer Centre, Visakhapatnam, recognised the contribution of patients and their families, along with the clinical and support teams that have helped build the programme.
Dr. B. V. Krishna Prasad, Chief Operating Officer, Apollo Hospitals, Visakhapatnam, emphasised the centre’s efforts to improve access to specialised cancer and transplant care for patients in the region.
Bone marrow transplantation, medically known as haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), is used in selected cases of blood cancers and other serious haematological disorders. Depending on the disease and treatment plan, stem cells can be obtained either from the patient or from a suitable donor.
The process involves detailed assessment and preparation before transplantation, followed by intensive monitoring during recovery. For patients receiving donor stem cells, medical teams also monitor for graft-versus-host disease, a potential complication of allogeneic transplantation.
A successful transplant programme requires more than the procedure itself. It depends on specialised infrastructure, laboratory facilities, infection-control measures, close clinical observation and structured post-transplant care. Whether a patient is suitable for transplantation is determined by several factors, including the underlying disease, disease status, overall health, proposed transplant type and, when required, donor suitability.
The development of the programme in Visakhapatnam can help patients access complex haematology and transplant services closer to home, while providing the multidisciplinary evaluation and continued follow-up these treatments require.
Crossing the 100-transplant milestone represents an important step in strengthening advanced blood cancer and transplant care in the region. Continued investment in specialised teams, infrastructure and long-term patient support will remain central to the growth of such programmes.