In a recent major medical milestone, Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) successfully performed the first bone marrow transplant (BMT) for a minor patient. Eusa, a nine-year-old girl, underwent the treatment to treat her high-risk recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer that attacks white blood cells and the lymphatic system. The aggressive character of lymphoma is well-known, particularly in the event of a relapse, and the available treatments can be intricate and expensive.
The fact that the transplant was done for free demonstrates the hospital’s dedication to giving people in need of healthcare access to it. Under the direction of Dr. Prashant Prabhakar, the pediatric oncology and hematology team at the hospital managed the difficult treatment. Eusa had conditioning chemotherapy prior to the transplant. This procedure suppressed her immune system and removed cancer cells from her body in order to lower the possibility of transplant rejection. Her own bone marrow or blood was used to extract healthy stem cells, which were then reintroduced once the treatment was finished.
On August 2, 2023, the transplant was carried out, and it was successful in the engraftment phase, during which the new stem cells started to proliferate and generate healthy red blood cells. On September 7, Eusa was released from the hospital based on her recuperation. For the next two months, she is closely observed to track her progress, as the post-transplant period is crucial for identifying any issues, including transplant rejection or infections.
The opening of a specialized bone marrow transplant unit at Safdarjung Hospital in 2021 allowed for this successful BMT. Under the direction of Mansukh Mandviya, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, led the endeavor. The idea was to give children from disadvantaged households who cannot afford private hospital care access to state-of-the-art therapies like bone marrow transplantation (BMT) at a low cost in central government institutions.
Dr. Vandana Talwar, the Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, praised the accomplishment and underlined its importance in the fields of pediatric hematology and cancer. In addition to advancing medical knowledge, this procedure’s success provides access to bone marrow transplants for a large number of Indian children who would not have been able to get them otherwise because of socioeconomic limitations.
SOURCE :
ETV BHARAT
