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After a bone marrow transplant, a man with leukemia found that his donor’s DNA traveled to unexpected parts of his body. A crime lab is now studying the case. Three months after his bone marrow transplant, Chris Long of Reno, Nev., learned that the DNA in his blood had changed. It had all been replaced by the DNA of his donor, a German man he had exchanged just a handful of messages with. He’d been encouraged to test his blood by a colleague at the Sheriff’s Office, where he worked. She had an inkling this might happen. It’s the goal...

Long received a bone marrow transplant from the European stranger four years ago — and the unexpected impact it has had on his biology could affect the future of forensic science. According to a newly published New York Times story, the purpose of the transplant was to treat Long’s acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that prevents the body from producing blood normally. Following the procedure, the healthy blood-forming cells from the donor replaced Long’s unhealthy cells, allowing his body to resume normal blood production. It makes sense, then, for Long’s blood to contain the DNA of his donor....

A newly published study shows that white blood cells and a cancer cells can fuse and initiate a tumor, providing the first proof in humans of a long proposed theory.Yale Cancer Center scientists, together with colleagues at the Denver Police Crime Lab and the University of Colorado, have found evidence that a human metastatic tumor can arise when a leukocyte (white blood cell) and a cancer cell fuse to form a genetic hybrid. Their study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, may answer the question of how cancer cells travel from the primary tumor’s site of origin to distant organs...

ATLANTA, Dec. 10  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New data being presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, GA, suggest innovative strategies to improve the success of stem cell and bone marrow transplantation. These studies demonstrate improved outcomes using a new treatment regimen for children with a specific form of leukemia; new ways to increase the number of specialized stem cells harvested from the bone marrow prior to transplantation; efforts to effectively expand stem cell transplantation among patients older than 55; and preclinical research that re-examines the way physicians prepare a patient's immune system to accept...

The 8-year-old cancer patient who captured the attention of the Bay Area earlier this month when his puppy was stolen, then returned, will not be able to receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant yet. Kyle Wetle's mother, Katrina Wetle, said the family received test results today showing that the number of cancerous cells in the boy's bone marrow has decreased significantly, but still is not low enough for him to undergo the transplant. Kyle was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia five years ago. Cures or remissions of the disease have been achieved with bone marrow transplants, and Kyle recently was...

What Is a Bone Marrow Transplant? Replaces unhealthy cells with healthy ones  Related Resources • Minority Marrow Matches Fewer • Articles and links on bone marrow transplants • Articles and links on leukemia    From Other Guides • Breast Cancer and Bone Marrow Transplants • Transplants in Children    Elsewhere on the Web • National Marrow Donor Program • American Bone Marrow Donor Registry   Mary Kugler, MSN, RN,BC Guide to Rare/Orphan DiseasesWhat is a bone marrow transplant? A bone marrow transplant is when special cells (called stem cells) that are normally found in the bone marrow are taken out, filtered, and given back either to...