Dr. Rahul Bhargava

Consultant in haematology and bone marrow transplantation, treating disorders of the blood and marrow — leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anaemia and thalassaemia. Transplant is a long treatment rather than a procedure: assessment, donor matching, conditioning, engraftment and months of close follow-up, and the consultation sets out that timeline honestly before anything is arranged.

What this specialist treats

Disorders of the blood and bone marrow — leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anaemia, thalassaemia and sickle cell disease — with chemotherapy, targeted drugs, transfusion support and, where it is the right answer, stem cell transplantation using either your own cells or a matched donor's.

When you would be referred

Abnormal blood counts that have not resolved, a bone marrow biopsy result, enlarged lymph nodes, unexplained bruising or infections, or a known blood disorder needing transplant assessment. Timing matters more here than in most specialties, and delays are worth avoiding.

At the first consultation

Transplant is a long treatment rather than a procedure, and an honest first consultation makes that clear before anything else: assessment, donor matching, conditioning chemotherapy, engraftment, and months of close follow-up with a suppressed immune system. Nobody should book travel around an optimistic version of that schedule.

What to bring, and what to ask

Blood counts over time rather than a single recent set, the bone marrow biopsy and any cytogenetic or molecular results, and details of treatment already given. Worth asking: is transplant the recommendation or one option among several, what is the realistic timeline start to finish, what is the risk of graft-versus-host disease, and who manages your follow-up once you are home.