Stem cell therapy for leukaemia

Despite advances in medicines, cancer remains one of the most frightening diagnosis patients can receive. What makes it so difficult to cure, is that it is not just one illness, but a family of more than one hundred diseases occurring through various part of the body. One type of cancer has the unfortunate distinction of afflicting children more than any other type. It is leukaemia, the cancer that begins in the stem cells found in the bone marrow.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the remarkable potential to develop into specialized cell types in the body during early life and growth. In simple terms, unlike other cells in our body, a stem cell is like an infant, underdeveloped but has great potential. They either divide and increase their numbers or they specialize and become cells of organs like the brain, kidney, liver, etc. Stem cell transplant for leukaemia treatment is one of the major gifts of stem cells.

Causes of leukaemia

The stem cells in our bone marrow differentiate into many kinds of blood cells. This includes red blood cells (whose job is to transfer oxygen from the lungs to all tissues in the body), white blood cells (which fights against all kinds of invading diseases and protects the body), platelets (which helps with the blood clot).

When a stem cell goes through the specialization process, if there is an abnormal mutation in the cell DNA, then the stem cell automatically destroys itself. Sometimes, the defective stem cell remains undestroyed and mutates. These defective cells are known as cancer cells. In children, sometimes the abnormal mutation of white blood cells at their embryo stage also increases the risk of leukaemia.

The body is unable to produce new stem cells, when these cells crowd up the bone marrow. This causes reduced red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The body becomes oxygen insufficient, the immune system weakens and blood clotting becomes difficult.

How can stem cell therapy cure leukaemia?

To destroy the normal function of the blood, leukemic cells need to be destroyed. The problem is, leukemic cells are not a proper tumor. So it is surgically impossible to remove them. Here is when stem cell therapy for leukaemia comes to the rescue. At first, a leukaemia patient is given chemotherapy or in some cases, radiation therapy.  Patients may also receive reduced-intensity conditioning which uses lower, less toxic doses of chemotherapy. This destroys all the leukemic cells in the blood. After all the leukemic cells are destroyed, then healthy stem cells are injected into the patient’s body. Once they are transferred into the patient’s blood, the healthy stem cells enter the bone marrow and rapidly proliferate. This process is known as engraftment.

There are two types of stem cell therapy:-

1.    Autologous-In autologous stem cell therapy transplant for leukemia, the healthy stem cells are taken from a patient’s own body. Stem cells are collected from a healthy part of the body to transplant them with the damaged ones.

2.    Allogenic- In allogeneic stem cell therapy, stem cells which are healthy, are to be taken from the bone marrow of the donor. The recipient undergoes a human leukocyte antigens (HLA) test, to determine if the donated stem cells are of the right match. To reduce the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a condition where the donated cells attack the patient's tissues, certain drugs should be prescribed by the doctor, after an allogeneic stem cell transplant.

Leukaemia might be a frightening disease, but with medical advancement and doctor’s understanding, the survival rate is increasing day by day. Leukaemia diagnosis isn’t a death sentence. It gives the patient an opportunity to grow and connect with their close ones. It helps him/her to evaluate how to live life and enjoy.

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