The Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) at JIPMER would launch its Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) facility on Wednesday. The launch follows the success of JIPMER Medical Oncology department which collaborated with the department of Transfusion Medicine, in performing the first BMT on a 52-year-old patient on a trial basis.
The BMT unit, set up at Rs 90 lakh, can treat two patients at a time, said Dean of JIPMER and Director of RCC, Dr K S Reddy. The unit is equipped with air shower and hepa filters for creating a sterile environment.
In the first phase, autologous BMT would be available, in which the patient’s own bone marrow is used for treating cancers of lymphoma and breast. Thereafter, Allogenic BMT, involving the bone marrow of a donor after proper matching, would start.
Allogenic BMT programme requires HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing facility (used for kidney transplantation), which is available at JIPMER.
At present the irradiation (making blood free from infections) for the BMT is done by the high energy linear accelerator.
However, RCC is in the process of acquiring a separate blood irradiator, said Dr Reddy.
In the first case of relapse Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an autologous BMT was performed on the patient. During the transplant, the blood count of the patient fell and there was a risk of infection. The Department of Telemedicine helped in collection of stem cells, which was stored at minus 80 degree Celsius. The department also provided various blood components, which were irradiated and given to the patient. The patient was recovering.
The autologous BMT involves hospitalisation of 4 to 6 weeks. The transplant costs anywhere between Rs 4 lakh and Rs12 lakh at most centres. However, JIPMER was planning to bring the cost to one-fourth of the prevalent rates.
There are around 15 centres in India, including three in Tamil Nadu, capable of BMT.
The RCC is first of its kind cancer centre in a government hospital in the southern part of the country. High-tech equipment worth Rs 26 crore have been set up.
It is equipped with state of the art High Energy Linear Accelerator with board imaging facility, newer Brach therapy equipment, CT simulator, ultrasound with Doppler facility and computerized radiotherapy equipment.