Advances in Stem Cell Treatment of Cancer

Here's an interesting advance in the treatment of cancer.

For many years cancer suffers have been treated with blood producing stem cells after the exisiting ones were killed during chemotherapy. Patients then receive replacement cells either from donors or they can receive their own stem cells - which were previously extracted prior to undergoing chemotherapy.

Both these methods carry some risk. In the first case, there is the possibility of rejection, a 'Graft Versus Host Disease' as it's known; and in the second case there's an underlying risk that some cancerous cells might be transplanted back into the patient.

However, a Canadian Company has now patented a method to kill any cancerous cells in the blood that is to be transplanted back into the patient. This method isnt new, but the form of treatment which eliminates the possibility of cancerous cells being reintroduced to the body has only just been patented. Therefore, I'd expect this type of treatment to be more widely available in the very near future.

The press release announcing the patent can be ead in full here.