Whenever I saw or read news about children being
abuse or neglected, my heart ache for them. As a mom I wonder how could these
people neglect their children when I just want to give my own life just to save
my child. Recently, I found out that I am not alone with this endevour of
making sure that my children would be safe and free because a video of a mother
from Quebec fighting against leukemia recently went viral in YouTube. Her
desperate plea – to find a compatible umbilical cord donor, the only hope for
her second battle against leukemia[i].
Mai Duong, a 34-year-old Vietnamese-Canadian mother is
among the many patients diagnosed of cancer every four minutes. Leukemia - cancer
of the body’s tissues that are responsible for forming blood including bone marrow
and lymphatic system is among the top eight common cancers in the Philippines.
In 2005, the Philippine Cancer Society recorded
4,202 new cases, 2,243 of which is among males with 3.9 percent incidence rate
while 1,959 cases were recorded among females with an incidence rate of 3.6
percent. With an average 5-year survival rate of only 25 percent, an estimated 3,498
deaths are expected with 1,863 in men and 1,635 among women[ii].
Normally, the body produces and grows the white
blood cells in an orderly way. But for people with leukemia, their bone marrow
produces white blood cells that are abnormal either in number or function.
The symptoms
of the disease varies from fever or chills, persistent fatigue and weakness,
frequent or severe infections, unexpected weight loss, swelling of lymph nodes,
bruising or bleeding easily, frequently recurring nosebleeds, visible red
spots, bone pain or tenderness and excessive sweating at night[iii].
Beyond the physical pain that leukemia patients experience,
they are also susceptible to emotional stress and anxiety. And when it comes to
the trauma and emotional pain, the patient’s family is no exception. Studies showed that anxiety and posttraumatic
stress are common to leukemia patients’ families during and even after
suffering from the condition. Researchers found that childhood cancer treatment
has a long-term impact on parents and families, thus, highlighting the need for
psychological interventions during and after the cancer treatment[iv].
But what gives the patients and their families a sense
of hope for recovery is the life-saving effects of stem cell transplantation,
including that from umbilical cord blood.
Like Duong, Ryan Foo is also among the many leukemia
victims who conducted a nationwide search for bone marrow stem cells. Foo suffered
from leukemia at a very young age and found hope of recovery after his baby
sister, Rachel was born. Rachel’s cord blood was collected and was processed
and stored in Cordlife’s cord blood banking facility. Ryan has been in
remission following the successful transplantation in Singapore in 2002[v].
In 2005, cord blood transplantation for a 9-year-old
female diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia was performed according to
Philippine Journal of Medicinev. The family had to search for one year before
finding a cord blood unit in Japan that matches their precious child. The cost
of the cord blood unit was about six-folds of how much it would have cost had
they banked the child’s cord blood vi.
Recent researches
have proven the life-saving effects of umbilical cord blood stem cells in many
life-threatening diseases including leukemia. Comparing cord-blood transplants
with current standard leukemia therapies, two new studies indicated that
leukemia patients who require stem cell transplants but do not have bone marrow
donors now have greater chances to proceed with the treatment through the use
of umbilical cord blood cells.
 |
“Stem cells are at the forefront of one of the most riveting and revolutionary areas of medicine today. While this could be a leap from the traditional treatments available, my fellow doctors and I do recognize cord blood stem cell transplantation as a standard form of treatment for various blood disorders, specially leukemia” Dr. Arvin Faundo, Medical Director of Cordlife Philippines.
|
“Cord blood
opens the door to provide transplants to thousands of leukemia patients who
otherwise would not get a transplant,” said Mary J. Laughlin, M.D., of the Case
Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, in an article published by the
Journal of National Cancer Institute[vi]i.
Laughlin, lead author of one of the two studies in
cord blood technology published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also
added that cord blood has two important advantages on bone marrow diseases.
With cord blood, there is faster identification of
appropriate units for transplant. This is important since some conditions
require urgent delivery and thus, delays are something medical providers aim to
eliminate. Also, with cord blood, patients are more likely to get acceptable
transplants because of the higher possibilities in the matching of donors.
Laughlin also added in the same report that they are
suggesting the expansion of national cord blood registries to improve access to
cord blood and eventually provide patients with more chances of getting
matches.
“The more
[cord blood samples] we bank the better will be the match and the availability
to patients,” Eliane Gluckman, M.D., of the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, said
in the same article.
Gluckman also confirmed the possibility of cord
blood transplantation in adults and noted its growing development in cancer
research.
She said that “many transplant centers thought it
was not possible to use cord blood cells in adults. Now, more people will
become aware of this possibility.”
In addition to this, a breakthrough in cancer
research was recently seen through a study led by the Loyola Medical Center oncologists.
They found that growing cord blood stem cells in a laboratory before proceeding
with transplant will significantly improve the survival and boost the number of
patients who could benefit from it.[vii]i
Today, Filipinos can now benefit from these breakthroughs
in cancer study by banking their babies’ stem cell-rich cord blood. This
unique, highly-advanced service is now available in the country through Cordlife
Philippines’ cord blood banking service which helps parents protect their child
from the dangers of life-threatening diseases including leukemia.
With continuous advancement in cord blood stem cell
applications, it’s imperative that parents seize the one chance to save their
baby’s cord blood. For more information, download Cordlife’s FREE infopack @
www.cordlife.ph or call them at (02) 332 – 1888.
[i]Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/09/16/cord_blood_donor_found_for_quebec_woman_battling_leukemia_for_second_time.html
[ii] 2005 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates, Philippine Cancer
Society. Retrived from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/151649/news/leukemia-facts
[iii] Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/leukemia/basics/symptoms/con-20024914
[iv] Retrieved from: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/65/1/120/
[v]iI For details, refer to Cordlife
Schedule of Fees.
[vi]i Umbilical Cord Blood Offers
Another Option for Leukemia Patients. Damaris Christensen. Journal of the
National Cancer Institute, Vol. 97, No. 4, © Oxford University Press 2005. Retrieved
from: http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/97/4/253.full
[vii]i Retrieved from: http://loyolamedicine.org/newswire/news/multiplying-stem-cells-umbilical-cord-blood-donations-increases-survival-leukemia-and
No comments :
Post a Comment