Stem cell transplant therapy has successfully cured patients suffering from Crohn’s disease, a terrible disease that afflicts an estimated 600,000 people in North America and millions more worldwide. Success in treating Crohn’s disease is just one of a string of recent success for stem cell and related therapies. The future for tens of millions of people suffering across the globe is looking brighter everyday as an explosion in treatments and cures for disease sees no signs of abating.
Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in a lifetime of severe diarrhea and stomach pain for its sufferers. Severe is an understatement: for the worst sufferers Crohn’s disease can mean 20-30 painful and embarrassing diarrhea visits to the toilet everyday. Treatment is sometimes effective for mild cases of the disease, but for the most severe cases treatment options are very limited. Now with the recent development of a stem cell transplant cure, more than 20 individuals with the most severe form of the disease have seen their symptoms either completely or almost completely eradicated.
Similar to other treatments that we have covered, for example that of bubble boy disease, the treatment focuses on “resetting” the patient’s malfunctioning immune system by replacing it with a new one. Healthy stem cells from the bone marrow are first extracted from the patient, followed by chemotherapy that completely destroys the patient’s immune system. Afterward the extracted stem cells are re-implanted into the individual where they naturally proliferate and differentiate into a new, properly functioning immune system. Billy Tytaneck, the first Canadian to undergo the treatment, has written a first hand account of his experience with the procedure.
The very first success in treating Crohn’s disease was performed on Joy Weiss eight years ago in 2001, and several other individuals have undergone the treatment since. In a recent press release from the Hospital Clinic in Spain, new information was released regarding the worldwide status of stem cell transplant treatments for Crohn’s. From the release we learn that the procedure has been performed on 12 patients in the US, 4 patients in Italy, and now 6 patients in Spain. Reportedly 80% of the cases have witnessed total remission, and the remaining 20% of cases have witnessed considerable improvement in quality of life.
Given the success of the treatment one might be surprised to learn that only on the order of 20 individuals from a world population of millions of sufferers have undergone the treatment. The reality is that stem cell transplant therapy is a very serious procedure that patients choose to pursue only after careful consideration and after all other options have failed. Undergoing chemotherapy is no joke. It carries a small, yet unavoidable risk of cancer and is a serious drain on the patient’s body. Furthermore, replacing one’s entire immune system is a new and barely understood technique whose ramifications over the long term are still being studied. Although patients have now been in remission for up to 7 or 8 years and counting, it is yet to be seen how effective the therapy is 10 or 20 years down the road.
Scottie Roy, a long time sufferer of Crohn’s disease has an excellent blog that catalogs his battle with the disease. Within the blog you can read about the lengthy discussions he and is doctors have had over treatment options, including stem cell transplant therapy.
As more research and data is accumulated, and as the technique is refined, stem cell transplant therapy will hopefully become an increasingly viable treatment for more and more Chrohn’s sufferers.
Comments
hi my names Charlotte im 23 and live in the UK and have suffered from crohn’s since 1999.
wow this is so nice to read that people all over the world are going through the same thing as me….. seems selfish in a way but it’s nice to know i’m not the only one that has to put up with this hellish disease. im just about at my whitts end with it iv just had major surgery to remove some of my bowel only to find as most of you will know it’s come back again seemingly in a similar place, iv tried and tested every drug on the market and now face a C/bag or totally removal…… REALLY don’t want it as im only 23 and have been suffering way to long to give in now.
im just so shocked, don’t know how you all seem to have the balls to just jump at the chance of this stem cell transplant, it scares the living hell out of me…. what happens if it doesn’t work….. what happens if it goes wrong…. you have to put your life on hold for such a long time??? im just so confused on what to think and do, it seems amazing…to good to be true so why im i not jumping and the chance???
i hope you are all as well as you can be would be lovely to hear back from someone.
Hey Charlotte…crohns sufferer as well here. I absolutely would jump at the chance of the stem cell tx. Yeah scary, but a chance for a cure? Absolutely…my life is on hold now, has been for over a year in this “flare” so why not try something that could potentially cure this ridiculous disease? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the embarrassment as well as the pain and suffering that goes along with it….
Hello, I have a severe case of Chrohn’s disease. I was diagnosed when I was 14 and I am now 25. I am in the bathroom 20 times a day and in severe pain all day. I have tried every single Chrohn’s medication that 2 doctors knew about. My current doctor told me that since nothing is working it is time to consider surgery to have my entire colon removed.
I am only 25 years old. I do not want to live the rest of my life with a bag, plus the crohn’s can spread into all the other areas of my digestive tract once the colon is removed. Right now it is only in the colon and I do not want it to spread. This is not even an option for me. I am not going to get my colon taken out until I try more.
With no help from my doctor me and my wife started researching other options. I came across a blog of a guy who had the stem cell treatment done back in 2001 and has been Crohn’s free for the last 9 years. After digging deeper we found out what hospital is doing the treatment in the US. Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois does this procedure. I sent them all my information and am just waiting for a call from the nurse to set up my first appointment with them. They said I am a great candidate and would love to have me down there so they can help me out.
I live in the Detroit, Michigan area, so we will have to drive down there. The drive will be worth it to possibly be CURED!!!
On the blog I found it also stated the cost of the treatment. This was back in 2001 so I don’t know if the cost has changed. I will know more in the next month when I go down there for my first appointment. The cost on the blog was $100,000. They gave him a discount since insurance wouldn’t cover anything and only charged him $70,000. He was able to raise all the money through benefit dinners and fun raisers. I am planning to do the same if the cost is still that high and already have several people willing to donate to help me out.
Just letting everyone know what I found out. I wish it was less expensive and more readily available but what can you do. Thats the way it is.
I recently underwent the stem cell transplant at northwestern. The cost of the procedure was $120,000, which was covered by my insurance. I am one month post transplant and feel alot better. I did have alot of complications but I made it through the
transplant.
What kind of complications did you have? I am going to Northwestern on December 8th and was just wondering what these complications are. Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what insurance do you have? I am hoping that mine will cover it.
Hi Tyler, I had massive gi bleeding and almost died. I was in icu for over a week and had a procedure that caused a blood clot due to the carelessness of some docters. I was the first crohn’s patient to have this kind of massive bleeding in Dr. Burt’s study. They will be on top of these types of issues for future patients. My insurance is Aetna. Good luck with your meeting and keep me informed. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Wow, That is crazy. I am glad you pulled through. Hopefully they watch that very carefully from now on. Things like that are what is making me nervous. I want this procedure so bad because I am out of options medicine wise. Just nervous about the whole thing. It will be interesting to see how the meeting goes on the 8th. How are you feeling now though? Are you noticing a big change in your Crohn’s or is it to early to tell? I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinios hopefully they will cover the treatment if not we are foing to have to do some fundraising. I don’t have that kind of money laying around LOL. Well thanks for replying and keep me posted on how things are going. I appriciate the response and it is nice to talk with someone who is going through the process right now.
I’m feeling alot better. Trying to avoid surgery this was the only other option left for me, even with all the complications I’m still glad I went with the transplant. Good luck with your meeting. Let me know how you make out.
I want this treat ment so bad any one with further information email me at [email protected]
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
251 E. Huron
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Look up Dr. Richard Burt (stem cell transplant)
I want this treat ment so bad any one with further information email me at [email protected]
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
251 E. Huron
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Look up Dr. Richard Burt (stem cell transplant)
i have been ssuffering with this awlful and embarrassing disease for almost 20 years, and have had major surgery. someone please tell me where i need to go to get this done. i have such painful side effects that i need to have this done, for myself and my family
thank you
i have been ssuffering with this awlful and embarrassing disease for almost 20 years, and have had major surgery. someone please tell me where i need to go to get this done. i have such painful side effects that i need to have this done, for myself and my family
thank you
Thanks for this article. I have Crohns diseas and I just wanted to point out it doesn’t just effect the gastrointestinal tract it can also spread to the eyes, skin, joints, mouth, and such. It is really hard to deal with and I’m glad they are researching a possible cure.
Thanks for this article. I have Crohns diseas and I just wanted to point out it doesn’t just effect the gastrointestinal tract it can also spread to the eyes, skin, joints, mouth, and such. It is really hard to deal with and I’m glad they are researching a possible cure.
Thank you for posting this article – I hope the cure will come in our life time, all over the world – I wish this for you Cecy and selfishly for me, as I have been diagnosed of Crohn’s disease a week ago.
Thank you for posting this article – I hope the cure will come in our life time, all over the world – I wish this for you Cecy and selfishly for me, as I have been diagnosed of Crohn’s disease a week ago.
Wish we had more information on the clinical trials I sure wouldn’t mind volunteering for my crohns
Wish we had more information on the clinical trials I sure wouldn’t mind volunteering for my crohns
hmm… interesting, stem cells widely use in many treatment to cure some disease like alzheimer’s, diabetes and etc. l hope these treatment can well work too in crohn’s disease treatment.
hmm… interesting, stem cells widely use in many treatment to cure some disease like alzheimer’s, diabetes and etc. l hope these treatment can well work too in crohn’s disease treatment.
Don,
As you point out, for the most severe cases the choice often looks to be either surgery or stem cell therapy, and surgery has serious negative side effects that often make it a poor or even unrealistic option. That of course is why this stem cell therapy is so exciting.
In terms of awareness, I suspect that if someone is suffering from Crohn’s bad enough and they are resourceful enough, they will quickly use their network of doctors, fellow sufferers, and the internet to find the institutions in Spain and elsewhere that are doing the stem cell therapy. Sadly, many people seem to only talk to one doctor about their afflictions and often their doctor is not informed or too behind the times to suggest the latest therapies. Patients need to take their health into their own hands. If they delegate that task to their doctor and don’t seek multiple opinions and multiple sources of information then they will miss out on cutting edge therapies such as this one.
Another consideration is finding a way to pay for it. I have no idea what the costs involved are but they must be enormous. I don’t know how/if insurance would cover such a therapy, but I doubt it. If anyone reading this knows about the costs involved please share that information with us here. I suppose we could contact Scottie Roy…I bet he knows.
It is a shame that the United States is moving so slow on many of these fronts…hopefully that will improve soon.
Another reality to mention must be that although yes, the procedure is a serious one indeed and is not to be pooh poohed, I believe the lack of availability of this adult stem cell treatment is the main reason why only 20+ patients have undergone this.
For severe Crohn’s cases, often the only other option is surgery- the removal of intestines or the colon which also is a very serious procedure, but leaves the patient perhaps with the negative side effects for the rest of his/her life and probably won’t cure the disease.
I don’t want to speak on behalf of Crohn’s disease patients as I don’t have the disease and I don’t know what it is like, but I believe a large amount of patients would opt for this stem cell treatment if weighed against removal of the colon for example. The problem is where/how do you get this treatment.
Aside from the hospital in Spain, where else can they get this done? And who knew about this hospital in Spain before the press release?
Until adult stem cell treatment is more widely available, patients with “incurable” diseases like Crohn’s, heart failure, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases will have to needlessly suffer because the United States (and many other countries) are too slow in making use of stem cell technology that can help millions NOW.