Stem cells from Poland save Chennai woman battling rare blood cancer

Chennai: A 23-year-old woman, suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer, underwent a life-saving bone marrow transplant using donor stem cells brought from Poland. As there was no matching donor in her family, Rela Hospital, along with DKMS Foundation, arranged for a compatible donor and transported the stem cells under specialised conditions. Doctors said the woman had initially complained of persistent fever, severe fatigue, repeated infections, weakness and poor appetite before being admitted.Detailed investigations, including bone marrow biopsy, cytogenetic studies and molecular testing, confirmed AML. "As the disease was categorised as high-risk with multiple genetic abnormalities, an early stem cell transplant was essential to improve survival chances. Since there was no matching donor within the family, we identified a suitable unrelated donor through an international registry and safely transported the stem cells from Poland ," said Dr M Divya, clinical hematologist and bone marrow transplant specialist at Rela Hospital. The patient responded well to treatment and achieved successful engraftment. Later, the hospital approached DKMS Foundation, which identified a matching unrelated donor through an international stem cell registry. Despite disruptions in global air transport linked to the Iran conflict, donor stem cells were safely transported from Poland to Chennai. The foundation also waived nearly 11,000 Euros (around 10 lakh) towards donor procurement and transportation costs. "The patient underwent induction and consolidation chemotherapy before receiving the allogeneic matched unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Following the procedure, she was treated in a specialised isolation unit under strict infection-control protocols and later achieved successful neutrophil and platelet engraftment," said Mohammed Farouk, chief operating officer of Rela Hospital.