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 l...