In a world-first, a hospital in China has just given a foreign citizen a stem cell transplant using half-matched hematopoietic stem cells. Tahseen Dilbar, a 30-year-old man from Pakistan, received the treatment on the 25th of April this year.
The treatment was a success, with the patient regaining the ability to produce healthy blood cells within two weeks. After the transplant, Tahseen was able to return to his wife and youngest daughter in their Shanghai apartment. He will return to Pakistan in the coming weeks.
Tahseen was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome in 2010. This condition prevents a person’s bone marrow from producing enough healthy blood cells. The symptoms of this condition include shortness of breath, fatigue, easy bruising, anaemia, and an increased risk of developing leukaemia. Tahseen has required regular blood transfusions just to survive.
In 2017, doctors told Tahseen that he had an increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia — a dangerous form of leukaemia that is usually fatal if untreated. He would require a stem cell transplant as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Tahseen struggled to find a stem cell match. The closest match he found was a half match with an older brother. Receiving a half-matched hematopoietic stem cells transplant was impossible in Pakistan as no doctors were familiar with the requirements of this procedure. He would have to travel to China.
Dr. Wang Chun and a team at Shanghai General Hospital have pioneered half-match HSC transplants. The key to their success is the incorporation of umbilical cord blood. It reduces the likelihood of the recipient’s body rejecting the stem cells.
Tahseen and his family are ecstatic that the procedure has worked and looking forward to returning to Pakistan.
Source: First foreign cord blood recipient discharged from hospital
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