- Preparing For Appointments
- Contact Us
- Maps and Directions
- Clinical Trials
- Our Physicians
- Frequently Asked Questions
Events & Groups:
Join Us On Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Clearview News Wire
Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Study weighs benefits of transplants for leukemia
Last Updated: 2010-02-01 9:01:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)February 2, 2010
* Bone marrow, blood stem cell transplant equal in leukaemia* Study shows bone marrow procedure better in acute cases
LONDON (Reuters) - Leukaemia patients who have blood stem cell transplants survive just as long on average as those who undergo the more invasive procedure of having a bone marrow transplant, scientists said on Monday.
But patients with acute forms the blood cancer appear to do better if they have bone marrow as opposed to blood stem cell transplants, the scientists said, suggesting that for some the benefit of the complex treatment is greater in the long run.
Bone marrow transplants involve the collection of stem cells from the bone marrow -- a complicated procedure in which the patient must have a general anaesthetic and surgery.
In peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), stem cells are collected from blood, avoiding some of the complications of bone marrow collection.
Researchers from the Charite Medicine University in Berlin, Germany, looked at survival rates in 329 patients from 42 transplant centres in 13 European countries, Israel and Australia who had received PBSCT or bone marrow transplants.
They found that rates of survival after 10 years were similar, at 49.1 percent for blood stem cell recipients and 56.5 percent for bone marrow transplant recipients.
But they found "notable differences in survival in patients with acute leukaemias", they said in the study published in the Lancet Oncology medical journal.
After 10 years, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) had a survival probability of 28.3 percent after bone marrow transplant compared with 13.0 percent after PBSCT. In patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) the probabilities were 62.3 percent for bone marrow and 47.1 percent for blood stem cell transplants.
"Different patient groups might still benefit from transplantation with bone marrow," the researchers concluded.
Other Articles:
- July 27, 2010
- Low-risk prostate cancer treated aggressively
- July 22, 2010
- California city approves marijuana farming
- July 22, 2010
- No Pap smears for women under 21: guidelines
- July 21, 2010
- Darker skin doesn't mean melanoma immunity
- July 21, 2010
- New study backs Avastin in lung cancer
- July 19, 2010
- Americans turn cold shoulder to sunscreen: poll
- July 19, 2010
- Lung cancer often recurs more than 5 years after resection
- July 16, 2010
- U.S. cancer group endorses newer breast cancer drugs
- July 15, 2010
- Palliative care lacking in much of the world
- July 12, 2010
- Fish oil might lower breast cancer risk
- July 12, 2010
- Study finds prostate screening cuts cancer deaths
- June 29, 2010
- Cancer survivors are often parents of youngsters
- June 23, 2010
- B vitamins make no difference in heart disease, cancer