THE ASIAN AGE, BANGALORE -FEB 14, 2003

CURIE ANGELS FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Two Doctors from Curie centre of Oncology Dr.Radheshyam and Dr.Ganesha performed karnataka's first autologous first bonemarrow transplant at the Sagar Apollo Oncologycentre in the city onTuesday.

The transplant was supported byCurie Sagar Apollo Oncology services,a wing formed by the Sagar Apollo Hospitals and curie center of Oncology. The stem cell support required for the transplant was provided by the rotary TTK Blood bank of Bangalore.

The 20 year old patient , an engineering student,was a case of acuteMyeloid leukaemia or blood cancer.After remaining healthy for almost an year following the conventional chemotherapy, he had a relapse in December last year. The only option he had was a high dose chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.However the patient being the only childbone marrow transplant was not possible. At this point Dr.Radheshyam and Dr.Ganesha suggested autologous bone marrow transplant for him.

"In autologous transplant , the patients own stem cells are harvested," Dr Radheshyam s