Stem cell transplantation found to deliver improved results in chronic blood cancer, JMML

A group of medical researchers has recently claimed that they had observed improved results from using stem cell transplantation to treat patients with a serious but a very rare form of chronic blood cancer, Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML).

According to researchers at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), who studied children with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) who underwent cell transplantation at the hospital, they observed that all of them were alive and in clinical remission.

According to Dr Abdel-Azim who led the study, the lack of transplant-related mortality in the group of children they studied at the Children's Centre for Cancer and Blood Diseases at the hospital suggested that BUMEL (Intravenous Busulfan and Melphalan) might work as a successful cell transplantation high-dose chemotherapy regimen.

He added that administering conventional dose chemotherapy, before cell transplantation, to patients with more progressive disease might have contributed to improved outcomes. He further said a follow up clinical trial was warranted to confirm these promising findings.

The journal Blood has published the study.

Dr Abdel-Azim added that lack of transplant related mortality among children signaled successful cell transplant as chemotherapy.

He further added that conventional dose of chemotherapy before providing cell transplant also helped in improving the condition of cancer ridden patients.