Category Archives: Stem Cell Transplant

ASH 2014: Brentuximab vedotin and autologous stem cell transplant in Hodgkin lymphoma At the 2014 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, Dr Jeffery Matous (Colorado Blood Cancer Institute, Denver, CO) discusses results of recent ... By: European Medical Journal … Continue reading →

Answers from the Experts: Stem Cell Transplant Cutaneous lymphoma experts provide insight concerning: "The truth about stem cell transplants" By: CutaneousLymphomaFnd … Continue reading →

Dr. Alvarnas on Stem Cell Transplant for HIV-Associated Lymphoma Joseph Alvarnas, MD, the director of Medical Quality at City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (A... By: OncLiveTV … Continue reading →

What is a stem cell transplant? A stem cell transplant may be used so that you can have intensive high-dose chemotherapy (and sometimes radiotherapy) to kill cancerous cells. The chemotherapy is higher than conventional chemotherapy and also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow that would normally make blood cells. Therefore, following the chemotherapy, you are given back (transplanted) stem cells which can then make normal blood cells again. A stem cell transplant is sometimes called a bone marrow transplant. However, stem cells can be obtained from blood as well as from the bone marrow. So, the term stem cell transplant is now used. Blood cells are made in the bone marrow, by stem cells. Bone marrow is the soft sponge-like material in the centre of bones. Large flat bones such as the breastbone (sternum) and pelvis contain the most bone marrow. To make blood cells constantly you need a healthy bone marrow. You also need nutrients from your diet, including iron and some vitamins. Stem cells are immature (primitive) cells. There are two main types in the bone marrow - myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. These derive from even more primitive cells called common pluripotent stem cells. Stem … Continue reading →

Japanese research also report the stem cells have effect on natural killer cells and monocyte function Putnam Valley, NY. (Jan. 16th, 2015) - Stem cells derived from human amnion have for some time been considered promising for cell therapies because of their ease of access, ability to differentiate, and absence of ethical issues. Now, a Japanese research team has found that stem cells derived from human female amnion also have immunosuppressive activity and that the addition of antibodies to specific factors can enhance their immunosuppressive potential. The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation and is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-CT-1273_Li_et_al. The amniotic membrane is a tissue of fetal origin comprised of three layers. It is thought that there is a special immunologic mechanism protecting the fetus, so researchers were interested in finding out what immunological properties might reside in - and be extractable from - amnion cells. "The human amniotic membrane contains both epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells," said study co-author Dr. Toshio Nikaido, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toyama, Toyoma, Japan. "Both kinds of cells have proliferation and … Continue reading →

B-cell lymphoma survivor: Advice for new cancer patients Frank Mellen was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in 1993, and the following year, he came to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to undergo a stem cell transplant as part of his... By: MD Anderson Cancer Center … Continue reading →

IMAGE:This image captures a blood stem cell en route to taking root in a zebrafish. view more Credit: Boston Children's Hospital BOSTON (January 15, 2015) -- A see-through zebrafish and enhanced imaging provide the first direct glimpse of how blood stem cells take root in the body to generate blood. Reporting online in the journal Cell today, researchers in Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Research Program describe a surprisingly dynamic system that offers several clues for improving bone marrow transplants in patients with cancer, severe immune deficiencies and blood disorders, and for helping those transplants "take." The steps are detailed in an animation narrated by senior investigator Leonard Zon, MD, director of the Stem Cell Research Program. The Cell version offers a more technical explanation "The same process occurs during a bone marrow transplant as occurs in the body naturally," says Zon. "Our direct visualization gives us a series of steps to target, and in theory we can look for drugs that affect every step of that process." "Stem cell and bone marrow transplants are still very much a black box--cells are introduced into a patient and later on we can measure recovery of their blood system, but what happens … Continue reading →

20-year B-cell lymphoma survivor shares his cancer story Frank Mellen was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in 1993, and the following year, he came to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to undergo a st... By: MD Anderson Cancer Center … Continue reading →

A pioneering bone marrow post-transplant specialist nurse is introduced in Tyneside - the first post of its kind outside London. Leading blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan has introduced the role based at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, at Newcastles Freeman Hospital. Susan Paskar has been employed in the job, funded by Anthony Nolan, to support patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants. The 38-year-old will be patients dedicated point of contact at the hospital once they have been allowed to go home following their transplant and will be able to offer specialist support and advice. Susan, who lives in Newcastle and has worked with bone marrow transplant patients at the Freeman Hospital for four years, said: I was very happy to take up this position as I saw that there was a need for more follow-up for patients they get a lot of support early on but we need to be able to continue to support them after their transplants so they can have the best possible quality of life. I think the patients would tell you that this new role is a vital one. After their initial treatment comes … Continue reading →

Innovative scoring system uses 'Ann Arbor GVHD score' to better predict how patients will respond, minimize side effects ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A new test can guide treatment for patients with graft versus host disease (GVHD), an often life-threatening complication of bone marrow and stem cell transplants, according to research from the University of Michigan published in Lancet Haematology this month. Patients with fatal blood cancers like leukemia often need bone marrow or stem cell transplants to survive. But one of the most common and serious side effects that patients face is graft vs. host disease: when a patient's new immune system from the transplant (the graft) attacks the patient's healthy tissue (the host). Most GVHD starts out as mild, but in two-thirds it eventually becomes severe. The treatment for severe GVHD is high doses of medications that knock out the immune system. But doctors have to be careful with drugs that further weaken a newly transplanted immune system, because they increase the risk for serious and life-threatening infections. Until now there has been no test to determine which cases of GVHD will become severe, so treatment is often delayed until the GVHD worsens. The study's lead author, John Levine, … Continue reading →