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Science Forum Index » Medicine - Cancer Forum » Some Stem Cell Transplant Recipients Face Long-Term Risk
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 Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:59 am |
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http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/11/27/hscout536219.html
Some Stem Cell Transplant Recipients Face Long-Term Risk
11.27.06, 12:00 AM ET
MONDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with diseases such as
leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who receive a hematopoietic stem cell
transplant (HSCT) have an increased long-term risk of developing a cancer,
a Canadian study says.
This risk was particularly evident in patients who were older at the time
of transplant or received stem cells from a female donor, said the
researchers from the University of British Columbia and the BC Cancer
Agency.
The study of 926 patients treated with HSCT, expected to be published in
the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer, found that these people were 1.85
times more likely than people in the general population to develop a solid
cancer within 10 years. The risk was nearly four times higher in people
who were older than 40 at the time of the transplant or received stem
cells from a female donor.
The median time to cancer diagnosis was about seven years after the
transplant, and the most common kinds of cancers were cancers of the skin,
lung, oral cavity, and colon, the study said.
"Since the risk of developing a solid neoplasm post-allogeneic
transplantation continues to increase with time, extended follow-up will
be needed to more fully assess the incidence and risk factors for their
development," the study authors wrote.
This kind of procedure -- in which the patient's own unhealthy stem cells
in the bone marrow are destroyed and replaced with donor stem cells -- can
be lifesaving but is associated with serious short-term side effects. This
study found that there are also long-term risks.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about stem cell transplants
for leukemia patients. |
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