Bone Marrow Diseases Summary Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of your bones, such as your hip and thigh bones. It contains stem cells. The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting. With bone marrow disease, there are problems with the stem cells or how they develop: In leukemia, a cancer of the blood, the bone marrow makes abnormal white blood cells In aplastic anemia, the bone marrow doesn’t make red blood cells In myeloproliferative disorders, the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells Other diseases, such as lymphoma, can spread into the bone marrow and affect the production of blood cells Causes of bone marrow diseases include genetics and environmental factors. Tests for bone marrow diseases include blood and bone marrow tests. Treatments depend on the disorder and how severe it is. They might involve medicines, blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Encyclopedia Agranulocytosis Bone marrow biopsy Bone-marrow transplant – slideshow Erythropoietin test Ham test Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) Reticulocyte count Find an Expert American Cancer Society American Cancer Society Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Leukemia & Lymphoma Society National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Specifics Atypical Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia National Cancer Institute Essential Thrombocythemia National Cancer Institute Fanconi Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute General Information about Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms National Cancer Institute General Information about Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms National Cancer Institute Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia National Cancer Institute Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, Unclassifiable National Cancer Institute Myelofibrosis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Polycythemia Vera National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Primary Myelofibrosis National Cancer Institute Thrombocythemia and Thrombocytosis National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Array Bone marrow aspiration Bone marrow culture Bone marrow transplant Bone marrow transplant – discharge Myelofibrosis Polycythemia vera Diagnosis and Tests Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy American Association for Clinical Chemistry How Are Thrombocythemia and Thrombocytosis Diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Fanconi Anemia Diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Polycythemia Vera Diagnosed? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute MedlinePlus: Blood Count Tests National Library of Medicine Reticulocyte Count Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry What Are Bone Marrow Tests? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Bone Marrow Diseases National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Myeloproliferative Disorders National Institutes of Health Treatments and Therapies Drugs Approved for Myeloproliferative Disorders National Cancer Institute How Are Thrombocythemia and Thrombocytosis Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Fanconi Anemia Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How Is Polycythemia Vera Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute MedlinePlus: Bone Marrow Transplantation National Library of Medicine Myelodysplastic/ Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Treatment National Cancer Institute Treatment Option Overview (Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms) National Cancer Institute Treatment Option Overview (Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms) National Cancer Institute Treatment Options for Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms National Cancer Institute Treatment Options for Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms National Cancer Institute Genetics Genetics Home Reference: 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Diamond-Blackfan anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: dyskeratosis congenita National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: essential thrombocythemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Fanconi anemia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Pearson marrow-pancreas syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: polycythemia vera National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: primary myelofibrosis National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Shwachman-Diamond syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: thiopurine S-methyltransferase deficiency National Library of Medicine Reference Desk Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes Glossary of Terms National Cancer Institute Living With Living with Fanconi Anemia National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Living with Polycythemia Vera National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Living With Thrombocythemia or Thrombocytosis National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Journal Articles Bone Marrow Diseases Symptoms What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Fanconi Anemia? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Polycythemia Vera? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Thrombocythemia and Thrombocytosis? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
