For malignancies including leukemia and lymphoma, stem cell transplants are the standard of therapy. But how does an autologous transplant differ from an allogeneic transplant?
The first stem cell transplantation was conducted in the year 1957 in the year 1957 by E. Donnall Thomas, MD The results were not exactly promising. Six doctors. Thomas’ leukemia patients passed away within 100 days of the transplants. Thirty-three years later Dr. Thomas won the Nobel Prize in medicine for his research on the transplantation of stem cells. The method, refined through decades of study, is the preferred treatment for patients suffering from various types of anemia and hematologic malignancies including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are not differentiated embryonic cells that grow into various blood cells muscles cells, or any other kind of cell in the body. As opposed to mature cells cell types are capable of self-renewal for a long time, as well as the capacity to reproduce and divide themselves over long durations. Hematopoietic stem cells are embryonic blood cells found in the bone marrow that develop into three kinds that comprise blood cells.
- Platelets are what help blood make clots
- Red blood cells carry oxygen into the blood
- White blood cells, also known as immune cells, fight against viruses and infections.
Liquid cancers, like leukemias or lymphomas, may destroy or diminish stem cells. Patients may also receive extremely high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to destroy cancerous cells prior to the transplant, which further reduces the bone marrow of their patients. The purpose of a transplant is for the purpose of replenish your body’s stem cells hematopoietic and permit the body to begin producing healthy blood cells.
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What is the difference?
The two primary kinds that stem cells can be transplanted are self-renewing as well as allogeneic. Both are options for treating the majority of liquid cancers, however, the kind of transplant a patient receives is contingent on many aspects, such as your diagnosis, condition of cancer at the moment that the patient receives the treatment, kind of donor as well as the general well-being of the recipient. “One is not superior to one, but for certain conditions and disease states, one may be more preferred and the other not be,” states Pamela Crilley, DO, Chair of the CTCA (r) Department of Medical Oncology.
A stem cell transplant autologous utilizes the patient’s stem cells that are harvested then frozen and later returned to the body following radiation or chemotherapy. If the transplant is successful according to plan and the stem cells are infused, they regenerate the bone marrow and start to produce good blood cells. “Autologous transplants are less prone to complications since patients don’t have to be able to reject their own cells” Dr. Crilley says. “Not that it’s ever that easy.
There is still the need to gather viable cells using validation of your collection procedure. You will require cryopreservation to freeze cells. You also need an experienced team who knows what to do when there are any issues.”
The allogeneic stem-cell transplant makes use of stem cells derived from a donor. This includes:
- Siblings with perfectly matched stem cells
- A relative who is partially matched stem cells
- Unrelated person found through the National Marrow Donor Program
“With the allogeneic transfer, you’re taking the immune system of the donor and introducing it into the immune system of the recipient,” Dr. Crilley declares. “The T-cells that come from the donor could be able to attack the recipient, and they may be unable to fight the attack as they have a suppressed immune system.” If the immune cells of the donor attack the cells in the host, it’s known as the graft-versus-host (GVHD) disease.
This life-threatening condition could occur in the days, weeks or, in some instances even years after transplantation and cause damage to the liver, skin or digestive tract. Signs of GVHD include nausea, a rash as well as vomiting, cramps, chronic infections, and jaundice. A mild form of GVHD could, however, be beneficial according to Dr. Crilley suggests, as it could indicate that the new cells are fighting the underlying disease. “Mild GVHD disease may actually be a better outcome for patients,” she says.
More information about stem cells
- Stem cells are eliminated from the body in by two methods:
- Bone marrow transplantation A surgical procedure carried out under anesthesia
- Apheresis is a process that involves the removal of blood from the body and then infused back into the bloodstream after the stem cells have been removed.
- Syngeneic stem cell transplant can be performed in cases where the donor and the recipient have identical twins.
- The stem cells that are specific to tissue, for instance, those found in muscles or blood are often referred to as adult stem cells despite the fact that they can also be found in children.
- Embryonic stem cells are known as pluripotent since they can grow into any kind of cell within the body.