Clinical Application of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation 1999.7.17

Clinical Application of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation 1999.7.17

The application of hematopoietic stem cells began in the late 1960s, with significant development starting in the 1980s. Chinese hematologists have made major contributions in this field. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is divided into autologous transplantation and allogeneic transplantation, depending on the source of the stem cells—bone marrow stem cell transplantation and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Academician Lu Daopei of Beijing Medical University was the first in China to perform allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of leukemia. To date, a total of 400 cases have been completed, with an annual increase of 100 cases. Since the 1990s, some domestic institutions have also carried out allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, achieving equally remarkable results. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been performed in China since the 1980s, with a total of 3,500 cases completed, growing at a rate of 300 cases per year. Although autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation lacks anti-leukemic effects, it eliminates the need for a donor, thereby objectively reducing the mortality rate of leukemia patients and maintaining its clinical significance. Recently, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan have successively established umbilical cord blood banks, using cord blood donations to perform allogeneic transplants for more than 500 patients, achieving encouraging results. Domestically, there have also been successful reports recently. The main challenge with autologous stem cell transplantation is the high relapse rate; recent data show that pre-transplant purification of both the body and the environment can help reduce relapse.