The Succession Of a Stem Cell Transplantation Surgery For a Multiple Sclerosis PatientFor the First Time At King Abdulaziz Medical City Jeddah
For the first time at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, stem cell transplantation was successfully completed for a 28-year-old patient with Multiple Sclerosis. The patient was seen in the Multiple Sclerosis Subspecialty Clinic. Dr. Seraj Makkawi, Consultant Neurology and Multiple Sclerosis/Neuroimmunology, explained that the patient's diagnosis was confirmed based on clinical features as well as the MRI and laboratory investigation results. The patient was started on a highly effective immunological treatment which is available at King Abdulaziz Medical City due to disease activity. Dr. Makkawi mentioned despite the use of highly effective treatment that the patient was discovered to have new disease activity clinically and radiologically in the regular follow-up in the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic.The patient was counseled about stem cell transplantation as one of the available treatment options for highly active Multiple Sclerosis. The patient agreed on the option of stem cell transplantation. He was referred to Princess Noura Oncology Center for the procedure. His case was thoroughly discussed by the medical team to determine the best treatment plan. Additionally, all required pre-transplant workups were completed to ensure the procedure's suitability and safety. Then the stem cell transplantation treatment journey began at the Princess Nora Oncology Center in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah.
Dr. Sameer Alamoudi - Section Head of Stem Cell Transplant and Consultant Adult Hematology / Bone Marrow Transplantation at the Princess Nora Oncology Center, said that in these cases, studies have shown that patients with highly active Multiple Sclerosis benefit from an autologous bone marrow transplantation. For the first time at the Princess Noura Cancer Center, thanks to Allah, and then the presence of highly qualified medical personnel, an autologous bone marrow transplantation was successfully performed for a patient with Multiple Sclerosis. The patient was discharged from the hospital after recovery.
Dr. Ihab Al-Hamidi - Consultant Adult Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Princess Nora Oncology Center, said autologous bone marrow transplantation is a process that requires the patient to undergo chemotherapy, followed by harvesting his own stem cells through a unique device run by qualified personnel. The cells are then stored and frozen by highly experienced laboratory technicians. After two weeks, the patient is prepared to take intensive chemotherapy. The aim of this intensive treatment is to destroy the immune cells that are possibly responsible for Multiple Sclerosis. After that, chemotherapy is followed by infusing the stem cells back and then waiting for the patient to recover. In this critical stage, the patient's condition is monitored by a qualified medical team with extensive training in protecting the patient from the effects of intensive chemotherapy, and the monitoring is done until the immunity returns to the normal level, after which the patient can be discharged from the hospital.
