Treatable DiseasesStandard Therapies
These are diseases for which Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants (HSCT) are a standard treatment. For some diseases they are the only therapy, and in other diseases they are only employed when front-line therapies have failed or the disease is very aggressive. Most of the diseases for which HSCT is a standard treatment are disorders of blood cell lineage, ranging from the stem cells in the bone marrow down to specific cell types in the blood
Leukemias
Lymphomas
Inherited Red Cell (Erythrocyte) Abnormalities
Other Disorders of Blood Cell Proliferation
Cancers in the bone marrow (Plasma Cell Disorders)
Other cancers (Not originating in the blood system)
Transplants for Inherited Disorders affecting the Immune System & Other Organs
Transplants for Inherited Metabolic Disorders
Therapies in Clinical Trials
These are diseases for which stem cell treatments have been shown beneficial, but have not been adopted as standard therapy. For some of these diseases, stem cell transplants only slow the progression of the disease, but do not produce a cure. For other diseases, stem cell treatments may affect a cure, but the optimum dosage and usage of the stem cells is still under investigation. Patients seeking a trial for their situation should consult the first resource below, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Auto-Immune Diseases
Transplants for diseases of the Central Nervous System
Transplants for Disorders of Cell Proliferation
Gene Therapy (ie: Transplanting genetically altered stem cells)
Cellular Cardiomyoplasty
Transplants for Cancerous Tumors
Experimental Treatments
These are diseases for which stem cell treatments have not been proven to have any efficacy in human beings. In a "Phase I" clinical trial, the purpose of the study is to find out if the therapy makes any difference in the course of the disease, as compared to a control group. This category also covers experiments in the laboratory, either with cell cultures or animals.
Auto-Immune Diseases
Gene Therapy (i.e.: Transplanting genetically altered stem cells)
Nerve cell repair
Organ repair
Recommended Resources:
National Cancer Institute database on cancer
Oncolink is one of the best cancer guides on the internet; it is produced by the University of Pennsylvania
NIH National Library of Medicine central resource for information about clinical trials.
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has a Patient Resources page on learning about clinical trials which apply stem cell transplants.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) offers an index covering a long list of neurological diseases.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has compiled an index of rare diseases, which includes alternate disease names and disorder subdivisions.
