Specialists successfully perform haematopoietic stem cell transplant-HSCT

The medics led by Prof Dr Aye Aye Gyi, the department head of Haematology successfully performed the haematopoietic stem cell transplant-HSCT on four patients in June 2023 at North Okkalapa General Hospital.
The medical team conducted a haploidentical allogeneic transplant surgery on a patient with acute myeloid leukemia replacing with stem cells of the patient’s father, the donor and an autologous HSCT surgery on three lymphoma patients using blood stem cells from their bodies. Currently, all the patients are in good health.
Although the HSCT can only be performed when the patient has an identical sibling (twin) – someone who has the same tissue type previously, the haploidentical allogeneic transplant can be done using the stem cell from the half-matched donor, for example- mother/father, son/daughter, siblings according to today’s developing medicinal aspect.
The first HSCT surgery in Myanmar was performed for Leukemia patients at North Okkalapa General Hospital in 2014. Moreover, it offered treatment to 18 myeloma and lymphoma patients with autologous HSCT using stem cells of patients and three patients with acute myeloid leukemia using allogeneic HSCT of donors totalling 21 patients between 2014 and 2020. Similarly, 13 myeloma patients received HSCT operations in 2016 at Yangon General Hospital.
The successful completion of HSCT operations by Myanmar specialists in public hospitals enables patients to receive treatment locally and save on medical expenses of going abroad for treatment. The Ministry of Health supports these operations by providing the necessary resources. — MNA/KTZH