By The Journal of Turkish Weekly

Medical centers in Iran will be applying stem cell transplantation to treat some 60 different diseases and near-death patients, Chief of Hematology, Oncology and BMT Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Dr Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh said, Mehr reported.

Ghavamzadeh noted that currently there are some 300 patients on the waiting list in Shariati hospital of Tehran, who need such treatment, otherwise they will die.

Stem cells help rebuild a weakened immune system. Stem cell transplants are effective treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer.

Dr. Ghavamzadeh said that last year some 400 such transplantations were made in the country, 12 of them were made in the Shariati hospital.

"Considering country's 75 million population, the average annual number of such transplantations should be around 1,500," Ghavamzadeh said, adding that more medical centers must be established for stem cell transplantations.

He noted that four such medical centers exist in Tehran, one in Kerman province, and another one in Urmia.

Ghavamzadeh said that these six centers are capable of doing approximately 600 stem cell transplantation operations per year.

Explaining further, Ghavamzadeh said such transplantations can treat genetic diseases, malignant blood diseases, metabolic diseases among other diseases.

He pointed out that before such transplantation can be made, a patient must first be connected to a blood testing device, that reveals whether a particular patient has HIV or hepatitis.

Ghavamzadeh said that more of such devices in medical centers would significantly reduce the "waiting lists" of patients in the local hospitals.

 

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