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Originally Posted by Donna E
Do you know if they are able to do transplants on people my Dad's age? He was told 11 years ago that he was not able to have one. I have two children who we both banked their umbilical cord stem cells . . . do you know of any cases of MDS treated with these cells yet?
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Transplant eligibility is based on
- the prognosis of the disease, typically measured using the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS)
- the availability of a stem cell, bone marrow, or cord blood donor
- the type of donor (identical sibling, other sibling, unrelated) and how closely they match
- age
- the patient's overall health
Less intense transplants, with less chemotherapy and little or no radiation, are another possibility. These non-myeloablative transplants or "mini transplants" have made it possible to treat older patients, so we now see patients over 60 receiving transplants. But by their 60s and even more by their 70s, most patients have other health issues that rule out any kind of transplant. Also, the older we get, the less able our bodies are to adapt to a new immune system.
You already know about the importance of cord blood banking. Yes, there have been cord blood transplants for MDS patients. Doctors are researching ways to get around some of their disadvantages, particularly the small number of blood-forming cells in a single cord blood unit. Dual cord blood transplants are one approach, but the risks of graft-versus-host disease remain high.
I'm a caregiver, not a physician, and I can't give you and your dad specific advice, but I welcome you to share what you learn from the doctors.