Chicago Woman is the First Adult Cured Of Sickle Cell Disease With Chemo-Free Technique

re-blogged from blackdoctor.org

Ieshea Thomas, a Chicago woman, is the first adult

to be cured of sickle cell disease with the chemotherapy-free

procedure at UI Hospital. Photo: UI News Release

http://blackdoctor.org/466678/doctors-cure-12-adults-of-sickle-cell-disease/

Promising results for Sickle Cell recipients a Chemo-Free Stem Cell Transplant. Typical stem-cell transplant treatment protocols would use chemotherapy and radiation to suppress the bone marrow before infusing healthy non-sickled cells. But, chemotherapy & radiation can increase a person’s risk for infection & other problems.

Types of Stem Cell Transplants:
In a typical stem cell transplant for blood disorders very high doses of chemo are used, often along with radiation therapy, to try to destroy all the damaged cells. This treatment also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given to replace those that were destroyed. These stem cells are given into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. Over time they settle in the bone marrow and begin to grow and make healthy blood cells. This process is called engraftment. (American Cancer Association.)
There are 3 basic types of transplants. They are named based on who gives the stem cells.
· Autologous (aw-tahl-uh-gus)—thecells come from you

· Allogeneic (al-o-jen-NEE-ick or al-o-jen-NAY-ick)—the cells come from a matched related or unrelated donor

· Syngeneic (sin-jen-NEE-ick or sin-jen-NAY-ick)—the cells come from your identical twin or triplet

Outcomes:

“In the reported trial, the researchers transplanted 13 patients, 17 to 40 years of age, with a stem cell preparation from the blood of a tissue-matched sibling. Healthy sibling donor-candidates and patients were tested for human leukocyte antigen, a set of markers found on cells in the body. Ten of these HLA markers must match between the donor and the recipient for the transplant to have the best chance of evading rejection.

In a further advance of the NIH procedure, physicians at UI Health successfully transplanted two patients with cells from siblings who matched for HLA but had a different blood type.

In all 13 patients, the transplanted cells successfully took up residence in the marrow and produced healthy red blood cells. One patient who failed to follow the post-transplant therapy regimen reverted to the original sickle cell condition.”

To learn more about ongoing sickle cell transplant trials at NIH (a participant in a trial will not be charged for a procedure) call 1-800-411-1222 or visit the NIH clinical trials registry at www.clinicaltrials.gov and search under ‘sickle cell disease.”

All the best,

Dr. Anderson

Thanks Theo Jr. for sharing