Stem Cell Transplants
Have an Advantage for Some Cancer Patients
NEW ORLEANS, LA—In the largest study ever to compare outcomes of cancer
patients transplanted with marrow versus stem cells, Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center researchers found that for certain patients, stem cells offer
clear advantages. William Bensinger, M.D., researcher in the Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center's Clinical Research Division and lead investigator for
this study, says that while still preliminary, the data offers promising news
for many patients with high-risk blood cancers. This includes patients with
advanced-stage leukemias and those who have suffered one or more relapses, as
well as patients with lymphomas that did not respond to treatment. "The evidence
is convincing enough that we've already made a change in treating our high risk
patients," says Dr. Bensinger. "For patients with accelerated phase CML or AML
and all patients who are beyond first remission or have refractory
(nonresponsive) relapses, we are using stem cells."
