Transplant Works for Adults With Sickle Cell

A new way of doing bone marrow transplants has cured sickle cell anemia in 9 out of 10 adults in a study, researchers say. Bone marrow transplants have been used for some time on children. But adults were thought to be too sick. Before a transplant, powerful drugs and radiation are used to kill the person’s own marrow. Then stem cells are transplanted from a donor’s bone marrow. They begin to make healthy blood cells that replace the abnormally shaped “sickle” cells. The study used a new, less harsh method of preparing people for transplant. Therefore, these sick adults were able to tolerate the treatment. Study results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about the study December 9.