Now that we are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that stem cells are the virtuoso of curing or atleast treating various non-contagious diseases, stem cell transplantation is also been used in treatment of cancer for over 30 years.
There are 3 types of stem cell transplants:
1. Autologous stem cell transplant: the patient himself is his donor. The bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells are harvested and frozen.
2. Allogenic stem transplant: patient's bone marrow and immune system are replaced with new, healthy bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells from another person.
3. Syngenic stem cell transplant: stem cells from identical twin are received. Since identical twins represent a small number of births, syngeneic transplantation is rare. Because identical twins have the same genes, they also have the same set of HLA (human leukocyte associated) antigens. As a result, there is less chance of the transplant being rejected.
Stem cells are used in "Immuno-reconstitution"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_reconstitution_inflammatory_syndrome) during treatment of cancer by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Apart from that, stem cells also contribute to tissue regeneration and as delivery vehicles in cancer treatment.
Stem Cell Transplantation
The main purpose of stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment is to make it possible for patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation. High dose chemotherapy and radiation can severely damage or destroy your bone marrow while killing cancer cells. Without healthy bone marrow, your body is no longer able to make the blood cells needed to prevent infection, bleeding, and carry oxygen. Stem cell transplants replace the stem cells destroyed by high dose cancer treatment allowing your bone marrow to produce healthy cells.There are 3 types of stem cell transplants:
1. Autologous stem cell transplant: the patient himself is his donor. The bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells are harvested and frozen.
2. Allogenic stem transplant: patient's bone marrow and immune system are replaced with new, healthy bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells from another person.
3. Syngenic stem cell transplant: stem cells from identical twin are received. Since identical twins represent a small number of births, syngeneic transplantation is rare. Because identical twins have the same genes, they also have the same set of HLA (human leukocyte associated) antigens. As a result, there is less chance of the transplant being rejected.
Stem cells are used in "Immuno-reconstitution"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_reconstitution_inflammatory_syndrome) during treatment of cancer by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Apart from that, stem cells also contribute to tissue regeneration and as delivery vehicles in cancer treatment.
