A nine-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with Fanconi anaemia, found a stem cell donor thousands of miles away. He underwent bone marrow transplantation at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) after receiving stem cells from a German donor, with the process facilitated through a Germany-based stem cell registry.
According to doctors, the boy with bone marrow failure was transfusion-dependent for blood and platelets. He was undergoing treatment for the last two years but did not have a matching donor in his family or an Indian donor.
“We could not find a matching donor for him. However, an international donor was identified through the Germany-based DKMS stem cell registry. DKMS has registries throughout the world, and it is located in Bengaluru as well. The donor was sourced through DKMS, following which measures were taken to airlift the stem cell product from Germany to India for the transplant. Their support included stem cell collection and transport. We had to obtain an import licence for medical therapy for the purpose,” Aruna Rajendran, Hemato Oncologist, RGGGH, said.
The bone marrow transplant with the HLA-matched unrelated donor was performed at RGGGH. “Even in the absence of a matched family donor, which is the case in at least 60-70% of the patients with such life-threatening diseases, matched unrelated donor transplants with a HLA matched donor provides a good chance of a cure,” she said.
“Ethnicity does not matter,” she said, and added that the voluntary donation of stem cells would make a huge difference. “The government is equipped to perform such procedures. Such treatment will cost at least ₹40 to ₹50 lakh in the private sector,” she said.
RGGGH Dean E. Theranirajan said, “Fanconia anaemia is one of the lethal conditions, and bone marrow transplant costs are huge in the private sector. This is available to poor patients who are in need of treatment at a government hospital. Our doctors were able to perform the transplant with stem cells from a foreign donor. This is one-of-its-kind in a government setup. The cost for transplant was covered under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.”
The boy, who was in the bone marrow transplant unit for a month, has been discharged from the hospital.
