By utilizing mini cell transplants, a radical new cancer treatment has been developed by doctors.
The ground-breaking procedure involves taking donor blood, extracting stem cells from that blood, and injecting them into cancer patients.
An alternative to bone marrow operations, experts say the procedure is faster and safer than the current conventional method.
For leukemia patients who are too weak for intensive chemotherapy, doctors at Barts and London who have performed trials on these patients say the treatment is a lifesaver.
Professor John Gribben, a cancer expert at the hospital, told the Standard: “This treatment is life-saving for patients who are too weak to undergo further chemotherapy and also means people don’ t have to spend months in hospital.”
The treatment removes the need for a painful bone marrow extraction procedure to be performed by doctors, and also reduces the amount of chemotherapy needed by patients.
Instead of bone marrow extraction, stem cells are encouraged to migrate from bone marrow into the blood stream thanks to the administration of a chemical.
