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| News > Air Force doctors perform first stem cell transplant in DoD |
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Christine Jackson watches as bone marrow stem cells are slowly injected into her bloodstream at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 10. It was the first time this type of transplant, from a matching unrelated donor, was performed in a Department of Defense hospital. Ms. Jackson was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and went through chemotherapy, only to discover a few months ago that it had relapsed. Without the transplant, her condition would have been fatal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett)(RELEASED)
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Air Force doctors perform first stem cell transplant in DoD
Posted 9/28/2009 Updated 9/28/2009
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by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
9/28/2009 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- On Sept. 10 Maj. (Dr.) Dustin Stevenson, medical director for bone marrow transplants at Wilford Hall Medical Center here, was the first physician to perform a stem cell transplant involving a matching unrelated donor in a Department of Defense hospital.
Stem cell transplants from a donor's bone marrow are a relatively common practice when the donor is related to the patient, like brother and sister or other close relations. It is rare for a perfect match to come up when the donor is unrelated to the patient. And, for this procedure to happen in a DOD hospital was unheard of ... until now.
Christine Jackson was the first patient to receive this type of transplant at a military treatment facility. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, or ALL, in 2007 and began chemotherapy. The cancer causes white blood cells to stop defending against bacteria.
"She was diagnosed with Lymphoma that relapsed after her initial therapy," Doctor Stevenson explained. "This situation is 100 percent fatal without a transplant."
More than 6,000 people search for a donor daily, and thousands die without one every year.
Any DOD beneficiary having bone marrow failure, lymphoma or any other situation where a stem cell transplant would cure them is eligible for this procedure.
"We'd like more people to be potential donors," he said. "All that is needed is a swab in the mouth to see if you are eligible."
Eligibility requirements include being between 18 and 60 years of age, of good health, and a DOD employee or immediate family of an active duty member.
There are two ways to donate. The first is having it harvested in the operating room. The second is a much more common method using an apheresis machine, which separates out one specific part of the blood and puts the rest back into the donor. This method doesn't involve an operating room or even anesthesia; it is similar to donating platelets.
"It gives me a very good feeling to have the opportunity to provide this procedure," Doctor Stevenson said. "As a physician it is very rewarding. I hope to expand our services and perform more of these types of transplants." |
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