Tiny life saved by stem cell transplant

Hanoi: Two and a half year old Tran Minh Ngoc, with stage 4 neuroblastoma that has metastasized to many places, miraculously recovered after a stem cell transplant.

For Mr. Tran Minh Manh, 35 years old (father) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, 25 years old (mother), this is boundless happiness. Seeing their child getting stronger every day, being able to walk and eat after many days of lying down, gives them more hope.

Ngoc, from Nam Dinh , was diagnosed with the disease in February 2023. Before that, the baby stopped eating, and the provincial hospital doctors did not detect the disease, so they transferred him to the National Children's Hospital. The results showed that he had neuroblastoma, stage 4, with a poor prognosis.

Neuroblastoma is common in infants and children under 5 years old, because the disease can form before birth. This is a solid tumor that forms in nerve cells outside the brain, can form in nerve tissue near the cervical spine, chest, abdomen or pelvis, often in the adrenal glands (located on top of both kidneys). Many symptoms are due to pressure from the tumor, such as bone pain, difficulty breathing, fever, anemia...

The disease is discovered after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection), the liver, lungs, bones, and bone marrow (the red, spongy tissue inside large bones).

"We didn't know what kind of disease it was," said Mr. Manh, adding that he was devastated because he missed his child and didn't have the finances to treat him. Ms. Thao stayed home to take care of both the child and her mother-in-law, while Mr. Manh went to work to support the family, but his job was unstable and his income was low, not enough to cover living expenses.

Baby Minh Ngoc during treatment. Photo: Provided by the doctor — Baby Minh Ngoc during treatment. Photo: *Provided by the doctor*

Due to the severity of her condition, Ngoc’s treatment plan combines multiple measures including tumor removal surgery and radiation therapy, high-dose chemotherapy combined with stem cell transplantation, followed by maintenance medication. She receives radiation therapy five times a week, one hour each time.

To prevent the tumor from metastasizing, the doctor advised stem cell transplantation - the last resort to help the child survive, because if only palliative care is provided, the child's life expectancy is about 5-6 months. Stem cell transplantation helps to completely destroy cancer cells, regenerate healthy cells, the child's illness goes into remission and reduces the risk of recurrence.

However, the cost of a stem cell transplant is quite high, about 300-400 million VND, while the cost of staying in an isolated, sterile room is not covered by health insurance. This therapy can only be performed at centers with good technical equipment and facilities, including stem cell harvesting machines, stem cell storage facilities, and standard stem cell transplant rooms (special rooms with air filtration systems). The medical team must be trained and experienced in the field of stem cell transplants. This is a barrier to treatment for poor families in general and Mr. Manh's couple in particular.

Three months ago, Ngoc was fortunate to receive support from the Hope Sun program (Hope Fund - VnExpress) to cover the cost of stem cell transfusion to prevent distant metastasis of cancer.

After the stem cell transfusion, the baby vomited, had diarrhea, and had body aches. Doctor Nguyen Hoai Anh, Cancer Center, National Children's Hospital, said the stem cell transplant phase was the most difficult for Ngoc. The patient needed strong chemotherapy, stricter care, and had to stay in a special isolation room. Family members also needed to ensure sterility to avoid infection from the outside. The baby had to supplement a lot of nutrition due to increased fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, malnutrition, and weight loss.

Fortunately, the patient is currently responding well, controlling distant metastasis, is in stable health, gaining weight, and eating more.

With the aim of lighting up the faith of children with cancer, Hope Foundation in collaboration with Mr. Sun launched the Hope Sun program. Another joint effort from the community is another ray of light sent to the future generation of the country. Readers can see the program information here.

Thuy Quynh

Source link