Eight-year-old Sarah Marika from Great Britain, who has been suffering from acute myeloid leukemia for 4 years, was saved thanks to the transplantation of umbilical cord blood stem cells. Previous chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant from her brother did not provide the desired effect – in 2020, a relapse occurred. The chances for survival were not high.
Sara’s mother signed the consent for experimental treatment with the use of umbilical cord blood, understanding her daughter’s life-threatening condition. The blood indicators were critical, the girl immediately needed chemotherapy. The cord blood transplant was performed at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Despite the doubts, the girl’s condition has improved significantly.
“…Sara is a very brave, cheerful girl who loves school and having fun with her friends. As a result of the experimental treatment, Sara now enjoys a full life,” says the nurse who was taking care of the little patient.
“Our research shows fantastic results. Umbilical cord blood, rich in stem cells, combined with white blood cell transfusions, helps to restore quickly the immune system and effectively combat such aggressive cancers,” says Professor Rob Wynn, Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and a key person in Sarah’s treatment.
“The children in our study received seven leukocyte transfusions during transplant treatment. Sarah’s life was saved by this method. The results of the study, published in Blood Advances, indicate that cord blood stem cells are decisive in the treatment of such severe forms of cancer. Sarah is one of five children in the study who are now alive and in remission, which is the definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of this method. Without this clinical trial, the survival of these children would have been unlikely.”
The first results of this study are published in the British Journal of Haematology.
Source: https://studyfinds.org/cancer-patient-umbilical-cord/
