Doctors in Nebraska have managed to save the life of a 13-year-old with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, thanks to a double umbilical cord transplant. It is the first time this procedure has been performed in Nebraska, and doctors are very happy to have had a positive outcome from their first attempt.
13-year-old Joseph Cruz was first diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) over a year and a half ago. It is a rare form of leukaemia where myeloid cells begin to interfere with the production of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
The symptoms of AML include easy bruising, recurrent infections, shortness of breath, fever, loss of appetite, and fatigue. It is a life-threatening illness because patients are vulnerable to infections and other ailments.
Doctors decided that Joseph’s best chances of survival was a stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, none of his nine brothers and sisters were a match.
Doctor Sachit Patel, the oncologist in charge of Joseph’s case, performed a national search to find a suitable match — but could not find one.
Dr. Patel began to look at other options for treating Joseph’s cancer. One option was an umbilical cord transplant. Because the stem cells in umbilical cord blood are quite young, they are less likely to trigger an immune system response when transplanted. That means the match between donor and recipient does not need to be as strict when using cord blood.
The only problem was that Joseph would need a double umbilical cord transplant because of his age. Dr. Patel remained confident that the double transplant would be a success.
Dr. Patel explained the advantages of using cord blood stem cells, saying: “It’s just blood from the cord which makes it easy to obtain, abundant and it’s safe. All those ethical questions which come up are off the table when it comes to cord blood.”
The cord blood transplant enabled Joseph’s body to successfully produce healthy red blood cells. The treatment was a success and Joseph looks to be on the mend!
Source: Making medical history with a double umbilical cord transplant
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