On 21/7, Hue Central Hospital announced the successful transplants, including that of a 9-year-old Muong boy from Kon Tum, who received a transplant from his older brother. The boy's platelet and white blood cell counts recovered well just 17 days after the procedure.
Another success story is that of a 2-year-old girl from Bac Giang with alpha-thalassemia. Although the donor, her 7-year-old brother, also carried the disease gene and had a different blood type, the hospital used an immunomodulatory technique that allowed the girl's platelet and white blood cell counts to recover within two weeks.
Similarly, a 10-year-old boy from Da Nang, dependent on blood transfusions since he was 7 months old, which led to a splenectomy and an enlarged liver, also underwent a successful transplant. Despite the risk factors, he was found to have a perfect HLA (human leukocyte antigen) match with his younger sister. This marked the hospital’s second successful transplant involving incompatible blood types.
An allogeneic stem cell transplant uses hematopoietic stem cells from a donor (related or unrelated) to replace damaged or destroyed stem cells in the recipient's bone marrow. This technique is typically used for patients with blood disorders such as thalassemia, blood cancers, or other bone marrow diseases.
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Hue Central Hospital’s management board discharges the young patients. Photo: Lan Huong |
Hue Central Hospital’s management board discharges the young patients. Photo: Lan Huong
In addition to these three allogeneic stem cell transplants, Hue Central Hospital also performed an autologous stem cell transplant for a 5-year-old from Lam Dong diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma. After partially responding to induction therapy, the child received an autologous stem cell transplant. Their platelet and granulocyte counts recovered after 28 days, and they are now preparing for post-transplant radiotherapy.
Stem cell transplantation is a modern, groundbreaking medical technique used to treat various blood and cancer diseases, helping children end their reliance on blood transfusions and prolonging survival in cases of malignant tumors. Hue Central Hospital is proud to be the first medical facility in the central highlands and the third nationwide to successfully implement this advanced technique.
Professor Doctor Pham Nhu Hiep, the hospital’s director, stated that in just 10 months since the first allogeneic stem cell transplant in 9/2024, the hospital has successfully performed 10 such procedures. Notably, two of these cases involved incompatible blood types, utilizing an immunomodulatory technique for the first time in Vietnam. This technique optimizes the quality of harvested stem cells and increases the success rate of transplants.
Vo Thanh
