Stem Cell Therapy for Leukemia and Acute Leukemia
Leukemia refers to different types of blood cancers. Acute and severe leukemias are the most common, with the causes, treatments, and results being very different.
In acute leukemia, an unusually high number of blood cells will not correctly work while affecting the generation of healthy blood cells. With severe/chronic leukemias, though, cells will grow slower while allowing the production of a healthy blood cell.
Stem cell therapy for leukemia refers to the transplant of blood stem cells, with thousands of patients surviving the procedure. Even if the risks are significant, scientists are learning more about leukemias and stem cell transplantation every day, with increased rates of success.
How effective is stem cell treatment for leukemia?
At the moment, most scientists agree that cell transplantation is highly efficient for various leukemias. It has been noted that the transplanted donor cells may attack the patient’s healthy blood, leading to fatalities. A molecule is the main culprit, but scientists are trying to block it so that the patients benefit from stem cell transplantation.
It’s beyond a doubt that stem cell transplant gives patients with leukemias or bone marrow cancer a real chance for recovery. The procedure has to eliminate the damaged cells with radiation or chemotherapy. Later, healthy blood cells from a donor will be used for the process. The transplanted cells will attack the cancer cells, eliminating the risk of later relapse.
Currently, the application of blood stem cell transplantation may be included for the stem cell treatment in patients with severe leukemia. In the case of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, cord blood transplantation may be involved.
But it’s not only transplantation that gives positive outcomes in leukemia. Dendritic cell immunotherapy relies on the dendritic, lymphokine-activate killer (LAK), and natural killer cells (nK) to block and kill the cancer elements. The therapy works faster than conventional treatments and doesn’t use chemotherapy, posing a minimal risk for side effects.
Why does dendritic cell immunotherapy work?
Dendritic cells (DCs) are compelling elements with antigen for tumor. They’re capable of activating the cytotoxic T lymphocytes that are tumor-specific. DC vaccination is a proper cancer treatment, and it’s used due to the efficiency and low risk for side effects.
At the Holistic Sanctuary, the method is improved with Ozon, HBOT therapy, coffee enemas, Myers cocktail, and proprietary vitamin IV drips and Gaba repair.
How does IPT potentiation therapy help in leukemia?
Commonly known as low dose chemo, IPT potentiation is safe and revolutionary. It’s a gentle method to address leukemias and various types of cancer, with aggressive forms of colon or lung cancer as best examples.
The method has little to no side effects such as complete hair loss, nausea, liver affection, or DNA distortion. It uses insulin for opening the cancerous elements, and releasing low dose chemotherapy after they open. This way, only the cancerous elements are killed, and the healthy cells aren’t affected.
The method only uses one-tenth of the amount of chemotherapy but gives to more impressive results than traditional chemotherapy.
Why are stem cells so incredible?
Since discovering stem cells, new therapies have been developed, bringing hope to patients with incurable diseases. These cells are unique as they may become any type of element that the body needs. Additionally, they can reproduce endlessly and heal the tissues affected by a disease.
Bone marrow produces the blood stem cells, which will also become whatever the cells the body needs. Stem cells will keep on dividing and become various kinds of blood cells while replacing the old and affected blood cells with new blood. They are capable of generating billions of new blood cells daily.
When stem cells cannot generate the proper amount of white blood cells, severe health problems will develop. Infections, bleeding, anemia are the less acute conditions, whereas leukemias make the category of critical illnesses.
The body needs healthy stem cells for living, and cancer destroys the stem cells. Should that be the case, stem cell transplantation is the only solution.
How to depict stem cell transplantation briefly?
Stem cell transplantation is also known as bone marrow transplant, and it refers to the patient receiving healthy stem cells for replacing the affected elements in his body.
Typically, the body will be prepared with chemotherapy and even chemotherapy. It’s a “conditioning treatment” used in many traditional clinics. It’s a challenging phase of the process, and many patients struggle with pain, extreme tiredness, vomiting, and so on.
At clinics like Holistic Sanctuary, where a comprehensive approach of the disease is taken, the process begins with a natural detox, which will eliminate all chemicals, toxic substances, and medications from the body. For stem cells to work, the body has to be completely free of chemical substances. Moreover, five different and proprietary IV vitamin drips will be administered to the patient. The body needs the right amount of vitamins and minerals for later treatment. At Holistic Sanctuary, patients are also helped to switch to an organic, non-GMO, plant-based, and raw dieting. The dieting will help the body fight against blood cancer.
Several studies have revealed that some therapies push stem cell production, boosting their growth, and healthy development. Therefore, at Holistic Sanctuary therapies as HBOT, floatation, and acupuncture are part of the treatment.
Once the body of the patient is prepared, the stem cells will be infused into the bloodstream. They will get to the bone marrow, starting the generation of healthy and new blood cells such as white blood cells, platelets, and red blood.
What type of stem cells are used to treat leukemia?
With stem cell transplantation, healthy blood stem cells will be inserted in the veins. Stem cells from specific areas will be used for stem cell transplantation.
Allogeneic stem cell transplant
It’s the most popular kind of stem cell treatment for various leukemias. With this type, the cells come from a donor whose tissue kind is a good match for the patient. The matching is essential as if some differences between the patient and the donor exist; the recipient’s immune system will react to the donor’s elements. The better the match, the higher the chance for the transplanted elements to start producing blood cells.
Like a sister or a brother, a close relative presents the highest chance for a perfect match. When cells from the relatives aren’t an option, they can also be procured from a matched unrelated donor. If so, the risk of possible reactions is higher.
Stem cells from the umbilical cord make the right choice, as at birth, they are the strongest.
For patients with acute leukemias, the allogeneic cell transplantation makes a better solution. With leukemias affecting the blood and the bone marrow, the treatment with the patient’s stem cells is inefficient.
Donor cells are a safer choice as they also reduce the graft versus leukemia effect. The donor cells may identify the rest of the leukemic cells as foreign and attack them. In the case of autologous stem cell transplantation, this kind of effect will not happen.
Risks and complications
Some risks and side effects are expected with the allogeneic transplants. Young patients in relatively good health make safe candidates, and finding a matching donor is the biggest challenge for this type of transplantation.
With allogeneic stem cell transplantation, the graft versus host (GVHD) disease is the most severe to expect. Sometimes, the recipient’s immune system will be invaded by the donor’s immune system. It means that the donor will see the recipient’s tissues as foreign and start attacking it.
Acute skin rashes, mouth sores, itching, severe diarrhea, and nausea are common symptoms of graft versus host disease. The liver can also be affected, causing jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), and lungs may be harmed as well. With graft versus host disease, the patient becomes quickly tired and experiences muscle aches. The graft versus host disease may be so severe that it can also become life-threatening. At Holistic Sanctuary, a good number of professionals monitor the patients all the time, and doctors and nurses are ready to act if something goes wrong.
Graft versus host disease is a severe condition and can be lethal. Drugs may be used in some clinics to reduce the risk of it.
How to define the non-myeloablative transplant?
It’s common for older patients not to handle the typical allogeneic transplant with high dose chemotherapy as part of the preparation. The non-myeloablative transplant (the mini-transplant or the reduced-intensity transplant) represents a safe option as only lower doses of chemo and radiation are provided. They don’t demolish the cells. Afterward, patients can still benefit from allogeneic stem cells.
The non-myeloablative transplant may contain low amounts of toxicity, with patients getting the transplant as outpatients. In this case, the risk for the graft versus host disease is present.
Autologous stem cell transplant
In the case of this transplant, the patient’s stem cells are gathered from the blood or the bone marrow. They will be frozen and stored throughout the preparation process with radiation or chemotherapy. Purging in the lab may be used for eliminating the leukemia cells in the samples. The obtained cells will later be reinfused in the blood’s patient.
People with leukemias who are in remission may get an autologous transplant after the first treatment if they don’t have a matching donor. Some professionals see autologous transplant as a better option than traditional chemotherapy.
Most patients tolerate the autologous transplant very well as they’re receiving their cells back, which presents a low risk for any side effects. For best results, the patients should be in good health and preferably young.
Risks and side effects
The separation of healthy stem cells from the leukemic cells is quite challenging. Even when the purging is done, the risk for some of the leukemic cells to go back with the procedure isn’t null.
What’s the rate of positive outcome for the stem cell treatment for cancer?
For a better understanding, we should highlight that stem cell transplantation doesn’t work right against cancer. The treatment will help the patient get back the capacity of generating stem cells after the treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. The two kinds of treatment will eliminate both cancerous and healthy stem cells in the patient’s body.
There’s also the category of leukemias where the stem cell transplantation may give results directly. The graft versus tumor is a result of the allogeneic transplants. Graft versus tumor effect happens when the donor’s white blood cells will attack the cancer cells left in the body even after the potent chemotherapy or radiation. It’s a positive effect, which will raise the rate of success for the treatment.
What is the survival rate for patients?
The stem cell transplantation will expand the lifespan of the patients, and there have been cases where the transplant cured the leukemias.
Every year, 50,000 patients go through transplantation, but the number rises by 10% to 20% every year. More than 20,000 patients managed to live five years and more after benefitting from the procedure.
It’s important to highlight that the first year is fundamental for the success of allogeneic transplantation. In the first year, the risk for any complications to happen is the highest. With patients going through chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the immune system will also be affected. The risk for infection is very high in the first year after the procedure.
The risk for developing GVHD is also higher in the first year, so the first 12 months are the most critical for the patients getting the transplant. After the 12 months, patients will be able to go back to their regular lives, as the risk for any complications decreases considerably.
Instead of conclusion
The days when leukemias would mean a death sentence for the patients are soon to be gone completely. Stem cell treatment for leukemia gives hope to many patients, and the procedure is widely available. However, some centers will manage to provide a more comprehensive approach for your disease, which will only increase your chance for complete recovery. At Holistic Sanctuary, a team of professionals from various areas of expertise will design a personalized treatment for you, with much consideration of your medical history, specifics, and even personal values. The personnel is well trained and dedicated to you, making sure that you get the best treatment. Give us a call to see what therapies we provide for a lifetime recovery.
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