Stem cell transplants have saved thousands of lives
Hans Hägglund, adjunct professor at Uppsala University and senior physician at Karolinska University Hospital is one of the editors of the new book.
Fifty years ago, the first bone marrow transplant was performed in Sweden. This is commemorated in the book “Tusentals räddade liv under 50 år” [Thousands of lives saved over 50 years]. One of the editors is Hans Hägglund, adjunct professor at Uppsala University and senior physician at Karolinska University Hospital.
What is the intention behind this book?
“We want to highlight the exciting development of the method since the first transplant was performed in Sweden in November 1975.
The book includes interviews with Princess Christina and author Niklas Rådström, two of the thousands of Swedes with some form of blood cancer whose lives have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to bone marrow and blood cell transplants.”
How did it all start?
“It was the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that led to the development of this revolutionary treatment method – replacing damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow from a donor. The method has also laid the foundation for modern-day development of cell therapies such as CAR-T cell therapy.”
How has it been in Uppsala?
“The procedure began to be used in Uppsala in 1983, eight years after the first Swedish stem cell transplant at Huddinge Hospital. To date, more than 1,200 transplants have been performed in Uppsala and a number of studies have been published. CAR-T cell therapy for cancer is actually based on the same principle, that it is the immune system that cures various tumours. Uppsala has also been an early adopter in this area.”
Who is the target audience for the book?
“It is written for patients and their loved ones, as well as for the people who donate bone marrow and blood stem cells. Approximately 100,000 transplants are performed globally each year, and there are approximately 50 million volunteer donors. In Sweden, around 300 transplants are performed annually, and a total of around 8,000 patients have undergone a transplant since 1975. We have the donors to thank for this development. Without them, we would not have been able to do this. In Sweden, we have, for example, the Tobias Registry.”
What does the future hold in this field?
“Most believe that the method will continue to be used, but perhaps for other indications and diagnoses, depending on which drugs are developed. And the method will certainly be developed and refined so that we will achieve even better results.”
So, stem cell therapy will continue to save lives?
“Yes, the 8,000 people who have had transplants in Sweden would all have died from their disease without stem cell therapy. I would guess that we have saved half of them. Today, about 80 percent of the patients are still alive two years after getting their transplant.”
Annica Hulth
New book on bone marrow and blood cell transplants
- “Tusentals liv räddade under 50 år” is a popular science anniversary celebration book that highlights the fact that the first bone marrow transplant was performed in Sweden in 1975.
- Professors Hans Hägglund and Gösta Gahrton are the editors of the book.
- Scientific pioneers write about their experiences from the first attempts to today’s groundbreaking immunotherapies and cell therapies – treatments that have cured thousands of people from what were previously fatal diseases.
- There are also interviews with patients, donors, relatives and healthcare professionals.