Stem Cell Treatments in China
View
or print this bulletin in its original format.
Medical Update Memo
May 15, 2008
SUMMARY
The April 3 issue of Neurology Today reports
on stem cell transplant work being done in
China.
Little has been known about the methodology
used by Chinese physicians in treating people
with spinal cord injury (SCI), amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis
(MS) because to date, no phase 3 trials have
been initiated to test these therapy protocols
being used in China.
DETAILS
People are paying up to $60,000 USD for cell
transplants administered by epidural or intravenous
injections or sometimes transplants to the
frontal lobe of the brain. Stem cells for transplant
are derived from aborted fetuses, cultured
olfactory ensheathing cells (OES’s),
cultured cord-blood derived stem cells, as
well as autologous bone marrow transplantation
(BMT). In autologous BMT, stem cells are harvested
from the individual’s own bone marrow
and are then re-infused back into the patient.
Neurology Today summarizes the limited peer
reviewed publications to date. One case report
published in the journal Spinal Cord cites
an individual with spinal cord injury who improved
briefly but also developed meningitis as a
complication of therapy.
In a 2006 paper published in Neurorehabilitation
and Neural Repair, 7 SCI patients were followed
and authors reported that no clinically useful
sensory or motor improvements could be substantiated,
nor did they see any improvements in disability
or autonomic function. In addition, they found
complications including meningitis. Reports
on the Chinese experience in multiple sclerosis
are also incomplete with limited or no information
on protocol, study population characteristics,
investigator bias, and statistically significant
outcomes.
Dr. Paul O’Connor – national scientific
and clinical advisor to the MS Society of Canada:
"Stem-cell therapy is of great interest
but unproven benefit in the treatment of
MS. There are many different ways to give
this
type of therapy (in the vein vs directly
into the nervous system; with or without
chemotherapy),
each of which can have very different results
from the next.
"For any proposed stem-cell treatment,
what we need are properly designed clinical
trials that can test its safety and effectiveness.
To date, no form of stem-cell therapy in
MS has been rigorously tested to the standards
that we use in testing the effectiveness
of
new drugs and the use of stem-cell treatments
is not recommended as part of routine care
in MS."
Dr. Mark Freedman – neurologist and principal
investigator, Canadian Bone Marrow Transplant
Project, Ottawa Hospital:
"The promise is out there for the
use of stem cells to treat many of these
disorders,
but if people continue to flock to countries
allowing this type of unproven therapeutic
measure to be used and subject themselves
to treatments that may cause more harm than
good,
then this may threaten the viability of
this whole area of research.
"Safety measures must be worked out
along with establishing clear proof of
benefit. Neither of these can be claimed
by centres
performing this work."
ASK MS Information System Code: 1.4.2.12.v
National Client Services
Medical Information and Education
Offert en
français.
Disclaimer
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is an independent, voluntary health
agency and does not approve, endorse or recommend any specific product or therapy,
but provides information to assist individuals in making their own decisions.
Back
to top
 |
