BHUBANESWAR: Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in the Capital city has successfully undertaken autologous stem cell (bone marrow) transplantation on a lymphoma patient, using the cryopreservation methodlogy for the first time.Professor and Head of the department of Clinical Hematology and Hemato Oncology Prof Priyanka Samal said the procedure was conducted on a 33-year-old male patient.
The transplant team followed the cryopreservation methodology - a procedure in which cells and tissues were preserved for future use at a very low temperature of minus 80 degrees C. “The cells, which generally have two to three days viability, can be preserved for several months through this process,” she said.Stem cell transplantation was preceded by chemotherapy for about four to six months to ensure that the patient has minimal measurable cancer cells. The procedure was done to make sure that the disease does not relapse, Prof Samal said.
The hospital has so far conducted 25 stem cell transplantations on patients with hematological malignancies like myeloma and leukemia within the last 18 months though the pandemic virtually stalled all activities for several months. All the persons who had undergone the treatment are doing well.Medical Superintendent of the hospital Prof Pusparaj Samantasinhar said the hospital is trying to extend cutting edge treatment to the people of the State at an affordable cost.