KIMSHEALTH performs two allogeneic stem cell transplants, one a complex half-match procedure

KIMSHEALTH Cancer Centre has successfully performed two allogeneic stem cell transplants, including a complex and highly challenging haploidentical (half-match) transplant, a press release issued by the hospital said here.

Allogeneic stem cell transplant involves replacing diseased stem cells in the bone marrow with healthy ones from a donor.

In haploidentical or half-match transplants, the recipient shares only a partial genetic match with the donor, who is usually a family member.

The half-match transplant was performed on a 37-year-old woman diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although her sister was the donor, their incompatible blood groups made the procedure particularly complex.

To further compound the challenge, the patient was also battling multi-drug resistant bacterial infections and aspergillosis — a fungal infection that typically affects immunocompromised individuals.

After the transplant, she contracted cytomegalovirus (CMV), a viral infection, for which she was treated with antivirals. Despite these life-threatening complications, the patient made a full recovery. A bone marrow assessment conducted 100 days after the transplant confirmed that she was disease-free.

The second successful transplant involved a 63-year-old male patient, also diagnosed with AML, who underwent an allogeneic transplant from a fully matched sibling donor.

Despite the age- related risks and potential complications involved, the patient showed remarkable progress and is in remission as of day 100 post-transplant., the press release said.

“Haploidentical transplants, especially in cases where blood groups are incompatible, demand an advanced skill set and precision,” it said.

The treatment was led by Bijay P Nair, Senior Consultant , Department of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant . The team Included K. S. Lekshmon and Aswin V. Nair, Associate Consultants and Sanooja Pinki, Department of Transfusion Medicine, KIMSHEALTH.