Once considered to be a therapy best reserved for pediatric patients, cord blood stem cell transplantation is proving to be effective for more and more adults. This certainly was the case for Susan Fister of Medina, Ohio, a 52-year-old married mother with two grown sons.
Diagnosis
In April, 2003, Susan Fister noticed she was getting a lot of small bruises. By August, she was fatigued and achy. She chalked that off to working two jobs. But then, a fall later on that month caused a large bruise from her shoulder to her elbow. The injury probably saved her life because she went to her doctor for a check up, and was diagnosed with acute mylogenic leukemia (AML).
Chemotherapy
After the first induction of chemotherapy, she developed an infection that put her in the ICU for three weeks. After the infection was treated and rehab was completed in November, Susan received a second induction of chemotherapy. A bone marrow biopsy in January of 2004 showed the AML was in remission.
Stem Cell Transplants
An allogeneic stem cell transplant using bone marrow stem cells was performed in February 2004, but failed the third week in May. Another bone marrow transplant using the same donor was performed in June, only to fail also. Then in August 2004, Susan received a cord blood stem cell transplant that engrafted successfully. As a result, Susan is healthy and active today.
Advantage of Cord Blood Stem Cells
Dr. Mary J. Laughlin, a pioneer in cord blood transplantation in adult patients, attributes the success of Susan’s transplant to the flexibility of cord blood stem cells which makes them less likely to be rejected by the recipient.
“In Susan Fister’s case, both her bone marrow transplants were a perfect 6 out of 6 match – and yet they failed where cord blood succeeded,” Laughlin explains that the problem is that our immune systems get smarter with age. “Cells from newborn babies haven’t had the benefit of all that education and therefore are much more willing to be adopted into a new person’s body,” she points out.
St. Louis Connection
Susan Fister’s stem cells came from the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank. Her life-saving cord blood unit was the result of the generous efforts of one of hundreds of caring doctors and midwives who deliver babies at our 29 participating hospitals. It was also the outcome of the hard work of dedicated nurses who provided donor education, collected maternal blood samples, and coordinated all the supplies and forms that ensured that the unit could be banked.
New Start on Life
Like other adult transplant patients, Susan Fister now has the blood and immune system of a toddler. She had to go to the doctor for “well-baby” visits at a year, year and a half, and two years to get her vaccinations for childhood diseases. “I just turned four this August,” she says of her immune system. Susan, like many other adult transplant patients, reports that injuries heal faster than expected for her age.
|
