VietNamNet Bridge - As of April this year, nearly 400 stem cell grafting operations had been performed in Vietnam, including 218 autologous and 169 allograft cases.

Many healthcare centers nationwide have been using the stem cell grafting technique to cure critically ill patients. These include Hue City Central Hospital, Central Pediatric Hospital, Army Hospital No 108 and 19/8 Hospital.

The transfusion hematology department of Bach Mai Hospital in 2014 successfully conducted the first allogeneic stem cell transplantation case. 

The patient was Tran Thi Thu Phuong, 39, from Can Loc Town of Ha Tinh province. She suffered from acute leukemia (AL), a kind of blood cancer. One month after the transplantation, new blood cells began developing inside the patient’s body and replacing the cancerous ones.

The patient had to have her marrow taken, and then the blood stem cells from a donor were transplanted. 

The donor and the stem cell recipient need to match well in terms of immunity. For this reason, In Vietnam, surgeons tend to choose donors who have blood relations, such as siblings.

With the method, patients face a high risk of getting kidney and liver poisoning. Patients are usually asked to stay in an isolated room for over one month. 

The air provided to the patient inside the room needs to be filtered. Patients need to receive special nutritional care: the food given to patients needs to be sterilized with ultraviolet light and heated with a microwave.

Scientists say the therapy can help prolong patients’ lives for over five years.

Stem cell transplantation is therapy not only used to treat acute leukemia, but also other types of blood cancer.

The Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion has been conducting blood stem cell transplant operations for hematopoietic treatment since 2006. 

To date, over 150 cases have been carried out there. This included two cases in which the patients were saved with navel cord blood from the community’s bank of navel cord blood cells.

More recently, the institute announced it has successfully conducted an operation of transplanting stem cells with no blood relations. The success has brought high hopes to many patients who suffer from serious blood diseases.

The blood stem cells were selected among 900 cell samples kept at the community’s bank of navel cord blood cells.

Until May 2014, when the bank was set up, patients had fewer opportunities to find suitable stem cells for transplantation. They could only seek stem cells from those who have blood relations.

The institute has cooperated with the Ha Noi Obstetrics Hospital to collect naval cords from donors for the bank, which could be used for any patient.

VNmedia