A new study suggests that a stem cell transplant is the best possible course of treatment for HIV patients battling lymphoma. The research also found that the best form of stem cell transplant was autologous — where the stem cells come from the patient’s own body.
Previously, researchers and doctors believed that HIV-positive patients would not be able to receive a stem cell transplant to combat their cancer. This research indicates that it should be the default form of treatment.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Joseph Alvarnas explains the effectiveness of using a stem cell transplant, saying: “overall survival for patients with HIV infection after transplant is comparable to that seen in people who were not HIV-infected.”
Patients with HIV have an increased risk of lymphoma and other forms of cancer. So much so that the leading cause of death among HIV patients is cancer. In terms of lymphoma, patients with HIV have 25-times higher risk of contracting the disease.
An autologous transplant involves the patient receiving high doses of chemotherapy to kill the cancerous cells in their bone marrow and blood stream. After the chemotherapy treatment has concluded, they receive a stem cell transplant to give their body the ability to produce healthy blood cells again.
After the high-intensity chemotherapy treatment, the patient has to rebuild their immune system. Doctors were reluctant to use the treatment method on HIV patients because they already suffer from a weakened immune system. They believed that the chemotherapy treatments might cause another disease to take hold in the patient.
The study looked at the results of the procedure on 40 lymphoma patients with HIV and 151 lymphoma patients without it. It found that survival rate was almost identical between the two groups, indicating that the procedure is viable with HIV patients. The findings will help many more HIV patients survive lymphoma in the future.
Source: Stem Cell Transplant Can Help HIV Patients Battling Lymphoma: Study
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