Srinagar, Dec 27: Doctors at GMC Srinagar and its associated SMHS hospital have performed its first and milestone Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant on Dec 09 in a case of high risk multiple myeloma, doctors said on Tuesday.
Doctors at GMC Srinagar informed that a cancer patient from Kakapora area of Pulwama was admitted in Medical Unit-III of the Postgraduate Department of Medicine.
The procedure involved stem cell mobilization, stem cell harvesting, myeloablation and stem cell rescue. The 54-year-old patient remained admitted for 22 days in the hospital and was discharged after successful engraftment of the stem cells.
The procedure was conducted by the qualified and experienced Clinical Hematologist, Dr Mir Sadaqat, Assistant Professor Department of Medicine and Clinical Hematology Unit of GMC and Associated Super-Specialty Hospital Srinagar.
Dr Sadaqat said this is first time in the history of GMC Srinagar that this type of treatment modality in a blood cancer patient has been provided that too in a resource limited setting.
“By providing such treatment modalities to our cancer patients will definitely help them not only as a standard of care for a disease but also an option which was never available before this procedure in GMC Srinagar,” he said.
The Clinical Hematologist said it will help the patients who otherwise had to move outside to conduct the procedure which was unaffordable for many patients.
“It needs qualified and experienced medical staff in addition to the tertiary care facility along with an expert in bone marrow transplant,” he said.
The procedure was held under the guidance of Principal/Dean, GMC Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Masood Tanvir along with guidance from Prof. (Dr) Rakesh K Koul, HoD Medicine, GMC Srinagar, support from Prof. (Dr.) Mohammad Ismail HoMU-III, mentorship by Prof. (Dr.) Javid Rasool, HoD Clinical Hematology SKIMS Soura and full blood bank support from Prof. (Dr) Sheikh Bilal, HoD Pathology/Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine which made this state-of-the-art procedure successful.
Notably, GMC Srinagar has become the second tertiary care hospital in valley after SKIMS Srinagar to conduct the bone marrow stem cell transplant. The procedure remains a challenging treatment in current medical practice even in the developed nations.
