52-year-old multiple myeloma patient undergoes successful SCT procedure

Bhubaneswar: Doctors at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here have successfully treated a 52-year-old woman suffering from multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, through Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT).

The patient had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma about 18 months ago following which she was under chemotherapy treatment in another private hospital from where she was referred to IMS and SUM Hospital for SCT.

The patient was treated with a different regimen as she had not responded favourably to the earlier one prior to undergoing SCT, Prof. Priyanka Samal, head of the department of Hematology, told mediapersons here on Friday.

SCT was one of the options open to the patient which was discussed with her and her family members before deciding on the procedure. The doctors had to be extra careful as she had been diagnosed with kidney failure when the disease was first detected. This was because the patient had to undergo high dose chemotherapy prior to SCT, Prof. (Dr.) Samal said.

“We took all necessary precaution to ensure that the delicate procedure could be taken up after obtaining the patient’s best response to the therapy and
with optimal control of all co-morbidities,” she said.

After other departments gave the clearance for undertaking SCT, the patient underwent the procedure with BSKY support. All the parameters post-SCT
were good and the patient was discharged in a stable condition, Prof. Samal said.

Besides Prof. (Dr.) Samal, Prof. (Dr.) Pusparaj Samantasinhar, medical superintendent of the hospital, Prof. (Dr.) Girijanandini Kanungo, head of department of transfusion medicine and Dr. Pritish Chandra Patra, associate professor in the department of hematology, were present during the press
conference.