Bone marrow and stem cell transplant complications can be handled by latest interventional radiology treatment
Administering intravenous (IV) steroids for treating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after bone marrow or cord blood transplant does not always serve the purpose for which they are administered besides resulting in a high mortality rate.
It was remarked by Joshua L. Weintraub, M.D., chief of the Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, that the latest interventional radiology treatment can be life-saving for people who have been administered with steroids previously and find it difficult to lead a life.
From News-Medical.Net:
According to Weintraub, there were no immediate drug or procedure-related complications, and the treatment appears to be safe and effective in combating GVHD—with about 40 percent of the patients showing complete response to the intra-arterial treatment at less than a year follow-up. The study was presented during the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C.
GVHD is a common complication of an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (one using blood-forming cells donated by a family member or unrelated donor) or cord blood transplant. With GVHD, the immune cells from the donated marrow or cord blood (the graft) attack the body of the transplant patient (the host). GVHD, which can be mild to life-threatening, can affect many different parts of the body, particularly the skin, liver and intestines. In this study the affected organs were the liver and small and large bowels.
The findings are considered to offer a breakthrough to general physicians on a global basis and have already received a wholeheartedly response from members of the medical fraternity.
