Kinder, Gentler Stem Cell Transplant

ST. LOUIS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Stem cell transplants can offer hope to people with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. But the transplant itself is no picnic -- especially on young, frail bodies. Now, a small change in how these transplants are done is making a big difference to kids who need them.

Eight-year-old Ryan Patrick knows a lot about trains. But he doesn’t talk much about his health. He has a rare immune disease that’s left him with diabetes and life-threatening allergies. His allergies include wheat, rye, barley, soy, eggs, legumes, apples and fish.

Kids in Ryan's condition are lucky to live past 5, so his parents took a gamble on a treatment that could save his life.

Pediatric oncologist Shalini Shenoy, M.D., and her colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are studying a new kind of stem cell transplant.

Patients typically get radiation and chemo so they won’t reject the transplant. But toxic doses can cause brain damage and infertility. "There are numerous organs that can be affected," Dr. Shenoy says.

The drug Campath (alemtuzumab) helps prevent rejection and is usually given at the time of stem cell transplant. Now, Dr. Shenoy gives it three weeks before. That eliminates the need for radiation and lowers the dose of required chemo.

Dr. Shenoy says, "If you told me 10 years or 15 years ago that a transplant could be done without a lot of chemotherapy or radiation, I would have said, ‘Oh, you’ve got be kidding me.'"

Most patients who undergo stem cell transplant coupled with the early Campath treatment recover immune function about one year later with no major infections.

Ryan had the transplant and now eats food that could have killed him before. His mother, Amy, says: “It’s like we woke up and we found out the last eight-and-a-half years were a horrible, horrible nightmare. And now, it’s morning.”

This type of stem cell transplant shows promise for metabolic disorders, some genetic disorders, and even sickle cell disease. Dr. Shenoy says its use for fighting cancer that requires a transplant is possible too but has not been tried yet. There are risks for infection with this procedure, and patients need to be closely monitored. Six centers are involved in the research.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Diane Duke Williams
Public Relations
Washington University School of Medicine
4444 Forest Park
Campus Box 8508
St. Louis, MO 63108-2212
(314) 286-0111
williamsdia@wustl.edu
http://www.stlouischildrens.org