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Cancer stem cells are defined as those cells within a tumour that can self-renew and drive tumorigenesis. Rare cancer stem cells have been isolated from a variety of human tumours, including haematopoietic, brain, colon and breast cancers. The cancer stem-cell concept has important implications for cancer treatment. In a typical stem cell transplant high amounts of chemo are used, often along with radiotherapy, to try to destroy all of the cancer. This treatment also destroys the stem cells in the bone marrow. Soon after treatment, stem cells are given to substitute those that were destroyed. These stem cells are given into a vein, much like a blood transfusion. Over time they settle in the bone marrow and begin to develop and create healthier blood cells. There are 3 basic kinds of transplants. They are known based on where the control tissues come from. - Autologous - the tissues come from you
- Allogeneic - the tissues come from a related or irrelevant donor
- Syngeneic - the tissues come from your similar twin
Autologous stem cell transplant: In this type of implant, your control tissues are taken before you get cancer treatment that ruins them. Your control tissues are eliminated, or gathered, from either your cuboid marrow or your blood vessels and then freezing. After you get great amounts of chemotherapy, the control tissues are thawed out and return to you. One benefit of autologous transplant is that you are getting your own tissues in return. This means there is no danger that your defense mechanisms will decline the implant or that the replanted tissues will strike or decline your human body. A possible drawback is that cancer tissues may be gathered along with the stem cells and then put back into your human body. To prevent this, physicians may give you anti-cancer drugs or cure your stem cells with other methods to reduce the number of cancer tissues that may be present. Another drawback is that you have the same defense mechanisms when your control tissues engraft. This type of implant is mainly used to treat leukemias, lymphomas, and several myeloma. It’s sometimes used for other malignancies, like testicular cancer and neuroblastoma, and certain malignancies in children. Allogeneic stem cell transplant: In this type of implant, the stem cells do not come from the affected person, but from a contributor whose cells type closely suits the affected person. The contributor is often a friend, usually a sister or brother. If you do not have a good match with in your close relatives members, a contributor might be found from the public through a nationwide register. This is sometimes known as a “matched irrelevant donor” implant. A benefit of allogeneic transplant is that the contributor stem cells create their own immune tissues, which could help eliminate any cancer tissues that remain after high-dose treatment. This is known as the graft-versus-cancer effect. Other possible advantages are that the contributor can often be requested to give more white blood cells if needed, and stem cells from healthier contributors are free of cancer tissues. Still, there are many possible disadvantages to allogeneic transplants. The implant, also known as the graft, might not take - that is, the contributor tissues may be more likely to die or be damaged by the person's human body before deciding in the cuboid marrow. Another danger is that the defense tissues from the contributor can affect the person's human body - a condition known as graft-versus-host condition. Allogeneic implant is most often used to cure certain kinds of the leukemia disease, lymphomas, and other cuboid marrow conditions such as myelodysplasia. Syngeneic stem cell transplant: This is a special type of allogeneic implant that can only be done when the receiver has an similar contributor - someone who will always have the same cells type. An advantage of syngeneic stem cell transplant is that graft-versus-host condition will not be a problem. There are no cancer cells in the transplant, either; there would be an autologous transplant. A drawback is that this type of transplant will not help to eliminate any cancer tissues because the new defense mechanism is so much similar to the recipient’s defense mechanisms. Every effort must be made to eliminate all the cancer tissues before the implant is done to help keep the cancer from relapsing. Author works for OMICS Group. OMICS Publishing Group is built upon the principles of Open Access and is determined to provide free and unrestricted access of research articles to scientists around the world for the advancement of science and technology.
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Cancer, stem cells, chemotherapy, OMICS, open access,
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