A stem cell transplant service has launched at Sunshine Coast University Hospital which lets blood cancer patients access advanced treatment closer to home.
Autologous stem cell transplantation is a complex treatment that uses a person’s own stem cells to help keep the cancer from coming back after chemotherapy.
Sunshine Coast Health Director of Haematology Professor Craig Wallington-Gates (pic supplied by Sunshine Coast Health)
Sunshine Coast Health Director of Haematology Professor Craig Wallington-Gates said the treatment is set to help a growing number of blood cancer patients in our region, saving them from travelling to Brisbane.
Several lymphoma and myeloma patients are diagnosed on the Sunshine Coast each month.
“To deliver this service on the Sunshine Coast is a tremendous advance for our population,” he said.
Professor Wallington-Gates explained this treatment process begins after the patient has already undergone some chemotherapy, and starts with ten days of hormone intake.
“This is to push out the blood forming stem cells from the bone marrow so they circulate in the blood, and these stem cells are parental cells, they’re capable of making all of your blood from scratch again,” he said.
“We collect them in a procedure called apheresis, where the patient comes in, is hooked up to a machine – blood goes into the machine, the stem cells are collected, and then the blood returns to the patient.”
Those stem cells are then frozen in liquid nitrogen, ready for use at a later date.
“We then bring the patient back into hospital, give them some chemotherapy to wipe out their bone marrow function so they can’t make blood anymore and wipe out any residual cancer.”
“The next day, we reinfuse their frozen stem cells just through the drip, and over a two week period they find their way back to the bone marrow, anchor themself down and make blood from scratch – so all the red cells, white cells and platelets – and the idea is hopefully cancer free.”
Sunshine Coast resident Gary Taylor is one of the first patients to be treated for myeloma through the new service at SCUH.
“It’s great isn’t it, I didn’t want to go to Brisbane, it’s an hour and 20 minutes sometimes with the traffic, especially because we only live up the road from SCUH as well, it’s a lot better,” Gary said.
“Basically here you come here, within an hour after you’re done and dusted, you can get back to work or whatever you’re going to do, but it would be a whole day in Brisbane.”
Gary said another major benefit is the continuity of care.
“It’s the same doctor I see here so he knows my history and stuff rather than seeing someone else down there.”
Sunshine Coast Health expects to treat around 30 local patients each year.
