http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/26/stories/2009062658540200.htm
CHENNAI: The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has identified the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital as one of the 10 training resource centres under the National Organ Transplant programme (NOTP).
Accordingly, a request was sent to the State Health Department seeking permission for utilising Stanley Medical College and Hospital as a training resource centre.
The government passed an order on Tuesday conveying its concurrence with the proposal. Preparatory activities will now be set in motion at the hospital, V.K. Subburaj, Principal Secretary, Health, told The Hindu.
Two centres have been chosen in Tamil Nadu to be resource centres, the other being Christian Medical College, Vellore.
These two hospitals are also key liver transplant centres in the country, apart from R&R Army Hospital and Ganga Ram Hospital, both in New Delhi, which also figure on the list of 10 chosen centres under the National Organ Transplant Programme.
The other centres are AIIMS, Delhi; PGI, Chandigarh; SSKM, Kolkata; SGPGI, Lucknow; KEM, Mumbai; and Nizam Institute, Hyderabad.
The centres will be involved in conducting training programmes for dialysis physicians, surgeons training in transplantation, among others.
In addition, a communiqué from the DGHS says that the NOTP is being developed as a new initiative of the Central government. It also hopes to overcome problems such as an acute shortage of organs or a formal programme to facilitate the availability of organs, and an acute shortage of manpower to implement the transplantation programme.
The first step, preparation of a draft programme, has been cleared and sent to all State governments and discussed in the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare.
It has also indicated that these hospitals are likely to be strengthened further for working under the State Organ Procurement and Distribution Organisation (SOPDO) in the State.
Stanley Medical College has already started work on setting up a Cadaver Maintenance Programme, which would serve the exact purpose of the SOPDO.
An exclusive ward with ambulance facilities and transportation would be set up at the Hospital to take care of brain dead patients until their relatives make up their minds to donate the organs.
“We will maintain the patients who cannot afford care outside entirely free of cost even if the family decides not to donate the organs,” R. Surendran, head, Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplantation, Stanley Medical College, said. Grief counsellors will be appointed to speak to relatives.
A sum of Rs. 1.11 crore has been allocated for this purpose and the funds have been sanctioned. The existing set up makes the hospital an ideal choice to be a State Organ Procurement and Distribution Organisation, he added.
Workshop on 4th April
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Venue : Anna Institute of Management, Greenways Road
Date : 04 - 04 - 2009
Time : 9 Am to 12 Noon
Date : 04 - 04 - 2009
Time : 9 Am to 12 Noon
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Ref. No. 103181/MEII/2/2008 Office of the Chairman
Authorisation Committee and
Directorate of Medical Education, Kilpauk,
Chennai .600 010 Dated: 2 .1.2009
Sub: Human Organ Transplantation Act 1994 – Authorisation Committee Meeting for Renal Transplantation held on 2.1.2009– Decision of the Authorisation Committee for Renal Transplantation - Regarding
----------
The decision of the Authorisation Committee arrived during the Meeting with recipients, donors, and the dependents of the donors along with the supportive documents forwarded by the recognized hospitals for renal transplantation held on 2.1.2009 is described in the report with hospitalwise details enclosed.
The Heads of Institutions are requested to send a report giving details such as date of Surgery of each approved case, name and designation of the surgeon who performed renal transplantation and the present condition of patient and donor , with in one week of the date of surgery.
The Heads of Institutions are also requested to undertake periodical review of the recipients and donor and present the donor before the Authorisation Committee every three months for examinations by the Authorisation Committee as per the instructions of the Government .
The authenticity of the approval of the cases by the Authorisation Committee may be verified with the WEB SITE :www.tnhealth.org to avoid any foul play by the anti social elements
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Uma Karthick
P.Dayalan
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Madras Medical Mission,
4-A Dr.J.Jayalalitha nagar,
Mogappair,
Chennai-37
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Rakesh Jain
Mina Goswami
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kumaran Hospitals P.Ltd.,
214 Poonamallee High Road,
Kilpauk,
Chennai-10
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Vetrivel
Vidya
Absent
----
2.
Mani
Rajasekaran
Rejected
The Statements made by the donor is incongruous and contradictory in nature.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Chennai Kaliappa Hospital,
52 Second Main Road,
Raja Annamalaipuram,
Chennai-28
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Chinyere Amala Obiamaka
Udokwu Chinonye
Cleared
-----
2.
Eze Afam Godwin
Eze Joel Olayinka
Cleared.
------
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kamakshi Memoral Hospital,
1 Radial Road,
Pallikaranai,
Chennai-100.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Chenthil Kumar
Bagavathithilagam
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
PSG Hospitals,
Avinashi Road,
Peelamedu,
Coimbatore-641 004.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
H.H.Lhaluna Thikesy Tanpai
Sangay Jatsho
Rejected
Donor is an orphan and has no relatives to represent and to give proper consent. Receipient is the master of the orphan boy. Donor not aware of the procedure and its consequences.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Christian Medical College,
Ida Schddue Road,
Vellore.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
M.Shanmugam
S.Raja Mohammed
Cleared
-----
2.
S.Kalaiyarasan
Muthulakshmi
Cleared
---
3.
K.Adaikalaraj
G.Muthukumar
Absent
----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Coimbatore Kidney Centre,
738 B Puliakulam Road,
Coimbatore.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
R.Sathya Priya
Ayyammal
Cleared
-----
2.
P.Ananthakumar
P.Amlu.
Rejected
Donor’s spouse not available for interrogation.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kovai Medical Centre,
Post Box No.3209,
Avinashi Road,
Coimbatore
Kolkata hospitals under the scanner
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/11/stories/2009021157100100.htm
Following last week’s arrest of six persons linked to an inter-State racket in kidney, the city police have asked several private hospitals to submit papers relating to organ transplant operations.
Once they get the papers, the police will contact patients individually to check if any exchange of money was involved, a senior police official said here on Tuesday.
Following last week’s arrest of six persons linked to an inter-State racket in kidney, the city police have asked several private hospitals to submit papers relating to organ transplant operations.
Once they get the papers, the police will contact patients individually to check if any exchange of money was involved, a senior police official said here on Tuesday.
UPDATE 2-ViroPharma's antiviral fails trial; shares dive
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKBNG41523920090209
By Esha Dey
BANGALORE, Feb 9 (Reuters) - ViroPharma Inc (VPHM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said its experimental antiviral compound, maribavir, failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study in patients who have had bone marrow transplants, hammering its shares down 60 percent to their lowest in more than three years.
Maribavir failed to reduce the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease compared with a dummy drug, the company said.
The study also failed to meet the key secondary endpoints.
"The mid-stage data were really impressive, but the late stage is a complete failure. There is no hint at all if the drug is actually working," Cowen & Co analyst Rachel McMinn said.
Cytomegalovirus is a member of the herpes virus family and is a frequent viral illness after transplants. The company had planned two separate trials for maribavir -- in patients receiving stem cell transplants and in those with solid organ transplants.
Failing in the stem cell transplant study means the company might have to do a third late-stage study to get approval even if the second study is successful, pushing the timeline of the drug further away.
"Instead of launching at the end of 2009 or early 2010, we are now talking about starting a late-stage trial in mid-2010. Then the launch perhaps would be in 2012. And that is if the drug works in the solid organ trial," Cowen's McMinn said. ViroPharma currently has two drugs in the market, Vancocin, an antibiotic, and Cinryze, a treatment for a potentially fatal genetic disease.
Maribavir is considered to be the crux of the company by analysts as Vancocin is about to go generic and Cinryze is only approved for the prevention of a rare genetic disorder.
"Our analysis suggests that ViroPharma is worth $4 to $5 a share, excluding maribavir. It is probably trading at the best-case scenario right now," McMinn said.
Shares of the company fell to a low of $4.89 before paring some losses to trade down $6.06 at $6.15 Monday afternoon on Nasdaq. (Editing by Deepak Kannan)
By Esha Dey
BANGALORE, Feb 9 (Reuters) - ViroPharma Inc (VPHM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said its experimental antiviral compound, maribavir, failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study in patients who have had bone marrow transplants, hammering its shares down 60 percent to their lowest in more than three years.
Maribavir failed to reduce the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease compared with a dummy drug, the company said.
The study also failed to meet the key secondary endpoints.
"The mid-stage data were really impressive, but the late stage is a complete failure. There is no hint at all if the drug is actually working," Cowen & Co analyst Rachel McMinn said.
Cytomegalovirus is a member of the herpes virus family and is a frequent viral illness after transplants. The company had planned two separate trials for maribavir -- in patients receiving stem cell transplants and in those with solid organ transplants.
Failing in the stem cell transplant study means the company might have to do a third late-stage study to get approval even if the second study is successful, pushing the timeline of the drug further away.
"Instead of launching at the end of 2009 or early 2010, we are now talking about starting a late-stage trial in mid-2010. Then the launch perhaps would be in 2012. And that is if the drug works in the solid organ trial," Cowen's McMinn said. ViroPharma currently has two drugs in the market, Vancocin, an antibiotic, and Cinryze, a treatment for a potentially fatal genetic disease.
Maribavir is considered to be the crux of the company by analysts as Vancocin is about to go generic and Cinryze is only approved for the prevention of a rare genetic disorder.
"Our analysis suggests that ViroPharma is worth $4 to $5 a share, excluding maribavir. It is probably trading at the best-case scenario right now," McMinn said.
Shares of the company fell to a low of $4.89 before paring some losses to trade down $6.06 at $6.15 Monday afternoon on Nasdaq. (Editing by Deepak Kannan)
Muslim organ transplants up
Monday, February 16, 2009
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_336498.html
MORE Muslims patients have benefitted from organ transplants since the community gave its backing to the Human Organ and Transplant Act (Hota) last August.
Giving an update on the life-saving Act, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday that 19 Muslim patients received a transplant in 2007.
Last year, the number doubled to 38 - just after five months the Muslims joined Hota.
'I expect a record number this year,' said Mr Khaw, noting that the vast majority of Muslims, like non-Muslim Singaporeans have stayed in Hota and support organ donation.
He added that that four Muslim cadaveric donors had saved the lives of 15 organ recipients.
In terms of the percentage of all patients receiving transplants, Muslim recipients have increased their proportion from 11 per cent in the past, to 19 per cent last year.
Mr Khaw also gave the assurance that hospitals are sensitive to the need of relatives to take the bodies of their loved ones as soon as possible for religious rites.
'Our organ donation teams work through the night to ensure that the donation process is completed within hours. Adequate washing facilities in hospitals and a second sitting for Coroner's cases are now available to reduce any possible delays,' he said.
'I am particularly grateful to the support rendered by Muslim religious leaders. Upon request, they have readily gone to the hospitals, even in the middle of the night, to support the family through the grieving process and also to clarify any religious doubts regarding organ donation. This complements the work of our medical staff and social workers.'
He said the donation process will be improved to speed up the release of bodies.
MORE Muslims patients have benefitted from organ transplants since the community gave its backing to the Human Organ and Transplant Act (Hota) last August.
Giving an update on the life-saving Act, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday that 19 Muslim patients received a transplant in 2007.
Last year, the number doubled to 38 - just after five months the Muslims joined Hota.
'I expect a record number this year,' said Mr Khaw, noting that the vast majority of Muslims, like non-Muslim Singaporeans have stayed in Hota and support organ donation.
He added that that four Muslim cadaveric donors had saved the lives of 15 organ recipients.
In terms of the percentage of all patients receiving transplants, Muslim recipients have increased their proportion from 11 per cent in the past, to 19 per cent last year.
Mr Khaw also gave the assurance that hospitals are sensitive to the need of relatives to take the bodies of their loved ones as soon as possible for religious rites.
'Our organ donation teams work through the night to ensure that the donation process is completed within hours. Adequate washing facilities in hospitals and a second sitting for Coroner's cases are now available to reduce any possible delays,' he said.
'I am particularly grateful to the support rendered by Muslim religious leaders. Upon request, they have readily gone to the hospitals, even in the middle of the night, to support the family through the grieving process and also to clarify any religious doubts regarding organ donation. This complements the work of our medical staff and social workers.'
He said the donation process will be improved to speed up the release of bodies.
Cord of life
Sunday, February 15, 2009
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1063056.html
Suffering from acute leukemia, E. was gravely ill. All attempts to find a suitable donor to replace her bone marrow that had been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy treatments were to no avail. After a half year search, the doctors at the Tel Aviv medical center where she was being treated said that there was nothing more to do. They explained to her husband that in her condition there were no more treatments they could give her.
But the family was not prepared to give up. In feverish searches on the Internet they chased every possible lead, even an experimental treatment. E.'s son came upon a doctor in Texas who was an expert on umbilical cord blood transplants. The specialist explained that the treatment is usually given only up to the age of 45 and expressed doubt as to the possibility that the woman of 68, who most probably also suffered from other conditions common to her age, would survive the transplant.
Only after the son insisted, and showed the specialist all the medical data on his mother, who until the disease was diagnosed had been completely healthy, did he agree to try.
Advertisement
He wondered, though, why it was necessary to drag the patient all the way to Texas when there was a department in Israel, at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, which could provide the same treatment.
The family hastened to apply to Sheba where Dr. Avichai Shimoni, the director of the bone marrow transplant unit, more or less repeated the reservations of the specialist in Texas.
This is a transplant that is more usual among children. In Israel, several dozen children and about 20 adults have undergone the procedure, 12 of them at Sheba.
"Dr. Shimoni said to us, 'Look, we don't have experience with people of her age,'" said the son. "'We need to go with the method of trial and error. Are you prepared to take the risk?' We told him, 'We have no choice, the alternative is clear.'"
Shimoni agreed, and thus E. became the oldest person in Israel and one of the few in the world of her age to have had an umbilical cord blood transplant.
The transplant procedure went well for E. Stem cells from umbilical blood that was donated by a blood bank in Holland were introduced into her body. Her body accepted the transplant and after the procedure it looked as though the disease was in remission and E. gradually returned to her ordinary life.
However, half a year later the disease attacked again. Because of her depressed physical condition, and the recurrence of the disease after a short time, there was no possibility of another transplant. E. passed away two and a half years after her illness was first diagnosed.
Nonetheless, for her husband, the extra time granted his wife and all those who were close to her following the treatment was an achievement.
"She returned to her everyday functioning, we went to parties, we took a trip abroad and we even did a 15 kilometer climb in the mountains," he said.
The case of E. has succeeded in establishing an approach that is becoming more and more common among the experts, whereby less importance should be attributed to the patient's age.
"Nowadays the perception is that age as such is not the center but rather the patient's physical condition and whether he suffers from other conditions," says Shimoni. "If he is in good shape, then his age does not constitute a reason not to treat him by means of a transplant."
The pluses of immaturity
For patients suffering from malignancies of the blood (various types of leukemia) and the lymph nodes, treatment via transplanted umbilical cord blood and bone marrow has virtually the same effect. The aggressive chemotherapy that these patients undergo destroys the cancerous cells but also harms the healthy bone marrow. The transplant makes it possible to administer the chemotherapy in large doses and to replace the bone marrow that has been destroyed. The bone marrow itself is extremely crucial in fighting the disease. It is made up of stem cells, which are the building blocks of the tissues, the organs and the blood system and they also make up the immune system. A transplant enables the body to produce a new immune system that will fight the disease.
However, anything foreign that is transplanted into the body, including a bone marrow transplant, has to match the patient's body - otherwise it will be rejected.
For the transplant to be accepted, a donor is needed who is a perfect tissue type match for the patient. For the most part, the best match would be from a patient's sibling. If there is none, an unrelated donor can sometimes be the best match.
In E.'s case, no matching bone marrow donor was found in the blood banks in Israel and abroad, and thus the family came to the possibility of a placental blood transplant.
Placental blood contains the stem cells that are also found in bone marrow, but because of the cells' relative immaturity, a perfect match is not needed for to transplant the blood from the passed placenta after a birth.
The disadvantage in the placental blood cell transplant option is in the small quantity of stem cells in the placenta, which do not suffice for transplants in adults.
In order to solve this problem in recent years, the practice has been to transplant stem cells from two placentas.
This is the treatment that was given to E. Doctors have found that the transfusion of two such units has a more powerful effect on the disease.
"Usually only the blood from one placenta is accepted by the body but the other unit helps it become absorbed and also helps it act against the disease," explained Shimoni.
As compared to bone marrow transplants, the absorption stage for placental blood is longer and takes several weeks because of the relatively small quantity of stem cells in the placental blood.
During the period following the transplant and until it is absorbed, the patient's body is vulnerable to various infections. However, the main complication of the transplant is still the transplant's fight against the host body.
Shimoni explained the affect of the patient's age on the success of the treatment.
"Age is a less important parameter when it comes to enduring the transplant, but it is a parameter with respect to the disease," he said. "In some patients, the malignancy returns even after a transplant of any sort. Since this is a very violent disease, even chemotherapy in a high dosage and a transplant don't always eliminate it. This is what happened to E. Though the transplant was absorbed, the aggressive disease, which is common among older patients, returned."
Nevertheless, Shimoni can testify to quite a number of cases in which the combined treatment of chemotherapy and a transplant achieved a complete cure, without a recurrence of the disease.
Still, Shimoni says in most cases bone marrow transplants are better than umbilical cord blood, unless a match can't be found.
"A bone marrow transplant with a perfect match is always preferable," said Shimoni. "In a case when the bone marrow comes from an unrelated donor and there is not a perfect match with the patient, we will often prefer umbilical cord blood."
Suffering from acute leukemia, E. was gravely ill. All attempts to find a suitable donor to replace her bone marrow that had been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy treatments were to no avail. After a half year search, the doctors at the Tel Aviv medical center where she was being treated said that there was nothing more to do. They explained to her husband that in her condition there were no more treatments they could give her.
But the family was not prepared to give up. In feverish searches on the Internet they chased every possible lead, even an experimental treatment. E.'s son came upon a doctor in Texas who was an expert on umbilical cord blood transplants. The specialist explained that the treatment is usually given only up to the age of 45 and expressed doubt as to the possibility that the woman of 68, who most probably also suffered from other conditions common to her age, would survive the transplant.
Only after the son insisted, and showed the specialist all the medical data on his mother, who until the disease was diagnosed had been completely healthy, did he agree to try.
Advertisement
He wondered, though, why it was necessary to drag the patient all the way to Texas when there was a department in Israel, at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, which could provide the same treatment.
The family hastened to apply to Sheba where Dr. Avichai Shimoni, the director of the bone marrow transplant unit, more or less repeated the reservations of the specialist in Texas.
This is a transplant that is more usual among children. In Israel, several dozen children and about 20 adults have undergone the procedure, 12 of them at Sheba.
"Dr. Shimoni said to us, 'Look, we don't have experience with people of her age,'" said the son. "'We need to go with the method of trial and error. Are you prepared to take the risk?' We told him, 'We have no choice, the alternative is clear.'"
Shimoni agreed, and thus E. became the oldest person in Israel and one of the few in the world of her age to have had an umbilical cord blood transplant.
The transplant procedure went well for E. Stem cells from umbilical blood that was donated by a blood bank in Holland were introduced into her body. Her body accepted the transplant and after the procedure it looked as though the disease was in remission and E. gradually returned to her ordinary life.
However, half a year later the disease attacked again. Because of her depressed physical condition, and the recurrence of the disease after a short time, there was no possibility of another transplant. E. passed away two and a half years after her illness was first diagnosed.
Nonetheless, for her husband, the extra time granted his wife and all those who were close to her following the treatment was an achievement.
"She returned to her everyday functioning, we went to parties, we took a trip abroad and we even did a 15 kilometer climb in the mountains," he said.
The case of E. has succeeded in establishing an approach that is becoming more and more common among the experts, whereby less importance should be attributed to the patient's age.
"Nowadays the perception is that age as such is not the center but rather the patient's physical condition and whether he suffers from other conditions," says Shimoni. "If he is in good shape, then his age does not constitute a reason not to treat him by means of a transplant."
The pluses of immaturity
For patients suffering from malignancies of the blood (various types of leukemia) and the lymph nodes, treatment via transplanted umbilical cord blood and bone marrow has virtually the same effect. The aggressive chemotherapy that these patients undergo destroys the cancerous cells but also harms the healthy bone marrow. The transplant makes it possible to administer the chemotherapy in large doses and to replace the bone marrow that has been destroyed. The bone marrow itself is extremely crucial in fighting the disease. It is made up of stem cells, which are the building blocks of the tissues, the organs and the blood system and they also make up the immune system. A transplant enables the body to produce a new immune system that will fight the disease.
However, anything foreign that is transplanted into the body, including a bone marrow transplant, has to match the patient's body - otherwise it will be rejected.
For the transplant to be accepted, a donor is needed who is a perfect tissue type match for the patient. For the most part, the best match would be from a patient's sibling. If there is none, an unrelated donor can sometimes be the best match.
In E.'s case, no matching bone marrow donor was found in the blood banks in Israel and abroad, and thus the family came to the possibility of a placental blood transplant.
Placental blood contains the stem cells that are also found in bone marrow, but because of the cells' relative immaturity, a perfect match is not needed for to transplant the blood from the passed placenta after a birth.
The disadvantage in the placental blood cell transplant option is in the small quantity of stem cells in the placenta, which do not suffice for transplants in adults.
In order to solve this problem in recent years, the practice has been to transplant stem cells from two placentas.
This is the treatment that was given to E. Doctors have found that the transfusion of two such units has a more powerful effect on the disease.
"Usually only the blood from one placenta is accepted by the body but the other unit helps it become absorbed and also helps it act against the disease," explained Shimoni.
As compared to bone marrow transplants, the absorption stage for placental blood is longer and takes several weeks because of the relatively small quantity of stem cells in the placental blood.
During the period following the transplant and until it is absorbed, the patient's body is vulnerable to various infections. However, the main complication of the transplant is still the transplant's fight against the host body.
Shimoni explained the affect of the patient's age on the success of the treatment.
"Age is a less important parameter when it comes to enduring the transplant, but it is a parameter with respect to the disease," he said. "In some patients, the malignancy returns even after a transplant of any sort. Since this is a very violent disease, even chemotherapy in a high dosage and a transplant don't always eliminate it. This is what happened to E. Though the transplant was absorbed, the aggressive disease, which is common among older patients, returned."
Nevertheless, Shimoni can testify to quite a number of cases in which the combined treatment of chemotherapy and a transplant achieved a complete cure, without a recurrence of the disease.
Still, Shimoni says in most cases bone marrow transplants are better than umbilical cord blood, unless a match can't be found.
"A bone marrow transplant with a perfect match is always preferable," said Shimoni. "In a case when the bone marrow comes from an unrelated donor and there is not a perfect match with the patient, we will often prefer umbilical cord blood."
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