To summarize, age should never be the sole factor in determining a patient's eligibility for a transplant. Patients as old as 80 could be considered for transplant if it is early in the course of treatment. Other indications include disease progression and overall health.
Although stem cells found in tissues of younger individuals are more potent in their capabilities, this does not exclude older patients from the benefits of stem cell therapy. Our clinic's published research indicates that age has no influence on results up to 79 years of age.
People who meet certain criteria may be considered for bone marrow transplant. At Mayo Clinic, doctors will consider selected patients over 65 years of age, depending on their overall physical health.
The recipient age was ≤45 years in 21%, 46 to 65 years in 52%, and >65 years in 27%. The most common diagnosis was B-cell lymphoma, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (36%) followed by acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (28%), and myelodysplastic syndrome (10%).
As we age, the chances of a complication resulting from any medical procedure increases. Age guidelines are in place to protect the health of potential donors and to provide the best possible treatment for patients. The age limit is not meant to discriminate in any way.
Stem cell transplants can be challenging for older patients for a variety of reasons. Seniors are more apt to have co-existing conditions that limit their ability to tolerate high doses of chemotherapy or radiation or other aspects of the transplant procedure.
Research led by UAB's Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship and director Smita Bhatia, M.D., MPH (above) finds that patients who received autologous blood or marrow transplantation (using their own cells) over the past three decades lived on average seven years fewer than peers.
The median age at transplant was 50 years (range, 18–77) and median time from diagnosis to transplant was 17 months (range, 2–372). The median length of stay was 21 days (range, 16–77).
Most diseases which may be defined as autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, will prevent you from donating marrow or blood-forming cells.
Patients who have a single joint or cartilage issue that is otherwise in good health may respond well to stem cell therapy, as it works best in healthy people. You can get all of the facts about stem cell therapy and have your questions and concerns answered during your consultation.
For instance, while 50 would be considered relatively young for a blood cancer, a 50-year old patient who smoked heavily would be a poor candidate for transplant. On the other hand, an 80-year-old patient in excellent health might be an optimal candidate.
Bleeding disorders or conditions such as hemophilia or deep vein thrombosis. Brain injury. Cancer. People who had chemotherapy or radiation therapy or who had cancer treatment within the past five years may not be able to donate bone marrow.
A brother or sister is most likely to be a match. There is a 1 in 4 chance of your cells matching. This is called a matched related donor (MRD) transplant. Anyone else in the family is unlikely to match.
Adult stem cells may not be able to be manipulated to produce all cell types, which limits how adult stem cells can be used to treat diseases. Adult stem cells are also more likely to contain abnormalities due to environmental hazards, such as toxins, or from errors acquired by the cells during replication.
A stem cell transplant uses stem cells from your bloodstream, or a donor's bloodstream. This is also called a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. A bone marrow transplant uses stem cells from your bone marrow, or a donor's bone marrow.
Stem Cell Transplant Success Rate
For instance, when it comes to treating multiple myeloma with autologous stem cell transplants, recent studies suggest a three-year survival rate of approximately 79%.
Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. As Bush declared when he vetoed last year's stem cell bill, the federal government should not support “the taking of innocent human life.”
When stem cells come from another person, the stem cells must have similar genetic makeup. Usually, a child's brother or sister is a good match. A parent or even an unrelated person sometimes can be a match.
In some cases, it is the only hope of being completely cured of cancer, but the chances of finding a complete-match bone marrow donor are very slim. However, a 50% match is now all that is required for treatment with high success rate. ” said Assoc. Prof.
You may feel well enough to start going back to your usual level of activity. From this point on, you'll probably feel better and better. For most people, however, the first 2 to 3 months to 1 year after transplant remain a time of recovery.
Day 100 is a milestone that many stem cell transplant recipients circle boldly on their calendars as the turning point in their recovery. That's when the greatest risk for critical side effects is past and when the stem cells have engrafted and begun making new blood cells.
It usually takes about 2 to 6 weeks to start seeing a steady return to normal blood cell counts. You will be in the hospital for some of this time. During this time, you may feel tired and generally unwell. You are at risk of fever, infection, bleeding, anemia, damage to the organs and dietary problems.
For some people, fatigue is a short-term effect of treatment that gets better over a few months. Or it might come and go for about six months to a year. Others might recover many years after their transplant, or it may never completely go away.
The registry needs donors of all races and ethnicities to provide the best matches for the most patients. They accept donors between the ages of 18 and 60. But because bone marrow transplant is most successful with younger donors, people ages 18 to 44 are preferred. Donors must be in excellent health.
This is also called “failure to engraft” or “non-engraftment.” This is serious but uncommon. The most common treatment for graft failure is another transplant. A second transplant may use cells from the same donor or from a different donor.