The first stem cell transplant took place more than 60 years ago. Since then, studies have shown that stem cell transplantation can be a safe and effective treatment for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as certain non-cancerous blood disorders.
But an increasing number of clinics worldwide are advertising stem cell transplants as a way to treat, or even cure, a wide range of health conditions – without any science to back up these claims. The influx of patients traveling to receive these unregulated and often dangerous procedures is sometimes referred to as “stem cell tourism.”
“These are always unproven treatments that are driven by hope against hope,” says Stephen J. Forman, M.D., a world-renowned blood cancers expert and the director of the Hematologic Malignancies Research Institute at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte. “And these patients are putting themselves at risk by getting an unproven therapy with unknown risks.”
This article covers the basics on the phenomenon of stem cell tourism – which can result in serious and potentially life-threatening issues – including:
- What is a stem cell transplant?
- Proven stem cell indications
- The dangers of stem cell therapy for unproven reasons
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and would like a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-834-8941.
What Is a Stem Cell Transplant?
A stem cell transplant – sometimes called hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – is a complex medical procedure that can be used to treat blood cancers.
Patients with diseases like leukemia, myeloma or lymphoma – which develop when cells in the blood or bone marrow mutate and begin to grow or behave abnormally – receive chemotherapy-based treatments, sometimes in combination with radiation therapy, to kill cancer cells. After these treatments, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant can be used to replace the cells that were destroyed with new, healthy cells.
A hematopoietic stem cell transplant procedure involves multiple steps:
- Healthy hematopoietic stem cells are collected from the patient themselves or from a donor.
- Chemotherapy or radiation therapy are used before the transplant to remove as much cancer as possible.
- The donor stem cells are infused into the patient’s blood using a long, thin tube called a catheter.
- Patients are closely monitored after the stem cell transplant for signs of side effects or complications.
“Here at City of Hope, the stem cell treatments we do are in support of three different conditions,” Dr. Forman says. “One is cancer, of course. The second is in the treatment of diseases of the blood and the bone marrow that aren’t cancer. And the third is to treat genetic diseases of the immune system and the bone marrow.”
Stem cells, he adds, are a kind of “template” cell that can develop into almost any other kind of cell in the body. After they are infused into the patient’s bloodstream, hematopoietic stem cells eventually develop into new, healthy blood cells.
Proven Stem Cell Indications
Stem cell tourism is a phenomenon where patients travel long distances and pay a significant amount of money to receive a stem cell transplant for conditions that should not and cannot be treated using the procedure. Researchers and journalists have found unlicensed and unregulated “clinics” offering stem cell transplant for issues ranging from Lou Gehrig’s disease (or ALS), cerebral palsy and diabetes to hair loss and the effects of aging. These centers may claim they're offering the best stem cell treatment in the world, but they may actually be putting patients in harm's way. The most frequent destinations: the United States, India, Mexico, Thailand and China.
“Where this becomes an even bigger problem is that people choose these unproven therapies instead of a really effective treatment, and then they may come back with much more advanced disease, making the odds of successful treatment worse,” says Dr. Forman.
Conditions that can be treated safely and effectively with a stem cell transplant include:
- Multiple myeloma
- Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia
- Chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Myelodysplastic syndrome
- Myelofibrosis
- Sickle cell disease
- Thalassemia
- Aplastic anemia
The Dangers of Stem Cell Therapy for Unproven Reasons
Receiving a stem cell transplant for unproven reasons comes with major health risks. Studies have reported patients suffering from both short- and long-term side effects, including heart health problems, neurological changes, accidental infection with hepatitis and urinary incontinence. Some patients have even died as a result of organ failure caused by unlicensed stem cell transplantation.
“I have seen patients over the years who had terrible diseases, like ALS, traveling to people who called themselves doctors and who were offering ‘stem cell therapies’ in unusual locations,” Dr. Forman says, adding that the risks associated with travel and the financial burden can also be significant.
It is important, though, to listen to and understand all patients’ concerns about their condition and to educate them compassionately about the treatment options available to them.
“My goal in that situation is to retain my patients’ trust and maintain their continuing care with us,” he says. “I don’t want to close the door in case they do leave, since I know that they’re likely going to need to come back.”
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and would like a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-834-8941.