- AOI Hyderabad performed about 10 thalassemia major cases in the last 6 months, 5 were Class III (high-risk aged more than 7-year-old)
- BMT team at AOI Hyderabad performed 100+ BMT cases in the last 2 years, 30+ cases were pediatric bone marrow transplant
India, 18th July 2023: A mother donated bone marrow to her 13-year-old daughter, suffering from Thalassemia major – class III through haploidentical stem cell transplantation. The patient is based out of Vizag and has been on regular blood transfusion and chelation therapy since the age of 8 months. The patient was referred to American Oncology Institute (AOI), Hyderabad, for treatment by Pediatric-Hemato -Oncologist and BMT Specialist Dr C.S. Ranjith Kumar. After further evaluation and investigation, she underwent vigorous chelation for high iron in the body. The mother (32-year-old) was recommended as donor for haploidentical stem cell transplantation. Haploidentical (often shortened to ‘haplo’) transplant uses a family member whose HLA matching is less than 100%. Children are always a half-match to their biological parents, and vice versa.
Thalassemia major is an inherited blood disease wherein the lifespan of red blood cells would be lower than normal; hence they need every month blood transfusion lifelong. Frequent blood transfusion can lead to transfusion-related complications, like viral infections like Hepatitis and HIV etc. and iron overload which leads to organ damage e.g., Heart and Liver and also, they have long-term growth-related problems. India has a huge burden with an estimated 100,000 patients with a β thalassemia syndrome. Few among them are optimally managed, and allogeneic stem cell transplants are unaffordable for most of the families. The only curative treatment currently for thalassemia is Allogenic Stem Cell transplantation, and reasonable age is between 4-7yrs. With increasing age, the complications related to transplants are high making patients unfit for transplantation.
Explaining the condition of the patient, Dr C.S. Ranjith Kumar, Consultant Pediatric Hemato Oncologist, AOI said, “India has a high prevalence of blood cancer and other blood-related disorders like Thalassemia or Aplastic Anemia. Currently, stem cell transplant is the only lifesaving cure for children patients suffering from Thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, aplastic anemia and Primary immunodeficiency disorders. Transplant-related mortality remains the major challenge in thalassemia children above the age of 7 years old, undergoing BMT. The patient is doing well and there were no transfusions since the transplant time, and she crossed nearly a year post transplant.”
AOI has one of the largest BMT teams with centres at Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Nagpur and Imphal. Expert team of BMT doctors at AOI has been performing Allogenic Stem Sell transplantations for Thalassemia and other childhood related conditions like Sickle Cell Anemia, Aplastic Anemia and Primary Immunodeficiency. AOI Hyderabad has performed about 10 thalassemia major cases in the last 6 months among which 5 were Class III (high-risk aged more than 7-year-old). Experienced in handling complicated cases, the BMT team at AOI Hyderabad has performed 100+ BMT cases in the last 2 years of which 30+ cases were pediatric bone marrow transplants.
Dr Prabhakar P, Regional Chief Operating Officer, American Oncology Institute (AOI), said, “The number of patients seeking BMT in India has increased over the last five years. Pediatric BMT outcomes are also improving. Highly experienced pediatric Hemato Oncologist are needed to improve outcomes. Supported with extensive training, experience, and state-of-the-art technology, AOI has an incredible team of highly skilled specialists to deal with complicated pediatric BMT cases. AOI is committed to offering best-in-class clinical expertise, technological superiority, and service excellence to our patients in South Asia. AOI stands at the forefront of treatment excellence offering precision cancer care for all types of cancers across all age groups.”
American Oncology Institute is the leading cancer hospital chain in South Asia operating 17 cancer hospitals in the region. AOI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the largest cancer medical technology company – Varian Medical Systems, a Siemens Healthineers Company.
