Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) on Thursday announced its first successful matched unrelated donor (MUD) stem cell transplant in Karnataka, which is performed in only three or four transplant centers in the country.
A 58-year-old woman was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia almost a year ago, and was initially treated with chemotherapy to which she responded. However, within six months, she had recurrence of the disease and at this point, her only hope for a cure was an allogeneic stem cell transplant. Since she had two brothers and two sisters, doctors at NH went ahead with the process of HLA typing of the patient and the siblings.
However, it was found that none of the siblings matched the patients’ stem cells. National Marrow Donor Programme (NMDP), a US-based NGO was contacted to find out, if there is possibility of getting any other donor. A donor search was initiated through the NMDP, and in three months, a suitable matched donor was available who was free to undergo stem cell pheresis in the US.Read more…
