When Marie Fuesel was treated for leukemia eight years ago, she needed donated blood products more than 100 times.
Theyd give me my chemotherapy, Id stay in the hospital for a week, then Id go home, get really sick and have to come back in for blood and platelets, says Fuesel, 53, a retired insurance agent who lives in suburban Chicago. I spent over 100 days in the hospital over eight months. The disease and treatments (affect the bone marrow and production of red and white blood cells and platelets), so many transfusions were required to achieve remission.
After eight months of chemotherapy, followed by a year on the targeted drug Sprycel (dasatinib) as part of a clinical trial, Fuesel went into remission. She no longer needs transfusions, but she still appreciates the need for blood donors. I wouldnt be alive if the blood wasnt available when it was needed, she says.
Back then, blood shortages werent common, but they are now. The stay-at-home orders at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of numerous blood drives, and safety concerns arising from its spread have prompted some frequent donors to stay away from donation centers.
Thats been a source of worry for oncologists. Patients with cancer use nearly one-quarter of the nations blood supply, according to the American Red Cross, and donated blood is a vital resource in the treatment of hematologic cancers. Patients who receive stem cell transplants often need transfusions of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells and platelets to control bleeding. Blood transfusions are common in the supportive care of patients undergoing chemotherapy that suppresses production of all the blood cells that results in anemia, because they relieve symptoms that ensue, such as fatigue and shortness of breath.
Between March and June 2020, 37,000 blood drives were canceled, according to the American Red Cross. The impact of the blood shortage varied across the nation but has hit some cities particularly hard. The New York Blood Center, for example, which supplies New York City
hospitals, reported in December 2020 that it had just three days of supply on hand, down from the five- to seven-day supply it normally has.
Ongoing shortages are forcing cancer centers to change some of their procedures for using donated blood. We all recognize that we are in the midst of a public health crisis and that we all have to do our part, says Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, chief of hematology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a physician liaison in hematology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In response to COVID-related blood shortages, several cancer centers adjusted their policies for transfusing blood. Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, for example, developed a blood shortage action plan, according to Dr. Kaaron Benson, director of the blood bank at Moffitt. It basically meant dropping some of the thresholds we would normally use for transfusion, Benson says.
Moffitt has not needed to implement the plan yet, but if it does, Benson says, the change would most likely have the biggest effect on patients with leukemia and lymphoma who are given platelets as a preventive strategy. Provided theyre not bleeding or engaging in activities that increase the risk of bleeding, studies have shown you can allow the platelet threshold to drop from our standard of 10,000 per microliter to 5,000, she says.
The technique was first suggested in a 1991 journal article and has since been widely accepted as an appropriate change to make during blood shortages, Benson says.
In recent years, many oncologists have set lower thresholds for red blood cell transfusions another change that has eased the strain on blood supply. They used to routinely order transfusions for patients with hemoglobin levels below 10 grams per deciliter. That number dropped to between 7 and 8 grams per deciliter after a series of studies showed that infusing red blood cells at the higher threshold did not improve treatment outcomes.
During the pandemic, Moffitt and other cancer centers are also delaying some stem cell transplants and elective surgeries, so that blood used during those procedures can be kept on hand for patients who urgently need it, such as trauma patients or those needing emergent surgery. But those decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, so patients should maintain a frequent dialogue with their oncologists to determine the best plan for managing their symptoms during the pandemic.
Patients with multiple myeloma, for example, can benefit from stem cell transplants, but its usually not urgent, says Dr. Stephanie Lee, a hematologist and professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. We have very good treatments for multiple myeloma, so we can continue to give patients chemotherapy for weeks or months, Lee says.
However, she explains, patients with leukemia who need stem cell transplants may be advised to undergo the procedure as quickly as possible, even during the pandemic, because delaying it could cause the cancer to grow and become resistant to treatment.
And some patients with cancer who are simultaneously fighting other diseases should receive all the blood and platelet transfusions they need to manage their cancer, as well as to address any risks posed by chronic conditions. If you have heart disease, and your hemoglobin drops even further, youre more likely to get angina or suffer a heart attack, Sekeres says. So, for those people with serious comorbidities, we are more aggressive in transfusing blood products.
Growing the Donor Pool
Stephenie Perry, who works as the business operations coordinator for the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia, knows firsthand the value of donated blood. Perry is a survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma who needed several transfusions during her treatment, which consisted of a round of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants.
Perry, 31, has been in remission since February 2018, but sometimes her red blood cell count still runs low and she needs another blood transfusion. I feel sluggish, and when I stand up, I get really dizzy, says Perry, who lives in Rome, Georgia. When I get a transfusion, its like someone has just given me a shot of energy.
How can patients adapt when blood shortages mandate less frequent transfusions? Lifestyle changes can make a big difference, Sekeres says. If a patient is becoming progressively anemic, and its someone who usually goes for a 2-mile walk every day, maybe theyll reduce it to 1 mile or cut (exercise) altogether, he says.
Some patients may be eligible for iron infusions, which can relieve symptoms of fatigue and lengthen the period between infusions, says Abbey Fueger, clinical trial nurse navigator for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In addition, there are other small changes that can lessen the risk of anemia and improve symptoms. Some physicians are trying to limit blood draws for patients and recommending nutritional supplements that might help them feel better and lengthen the time between infusions, she says.
Meanwhile, an effort is underway to expand the pool of potential blood donors. In April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) addressed blood shortages brought on by COVID-19 by easing up on some of its restrictions on who can donate. For example, people who are at risk of contracting HIV, and those who have a recent tattoo or piercing or possible exposure to an infected individual no longer have to wait one year to give blood. The new waiting period is three months.
The FDA also dropped the waiting period for donors who have traveled to malaria-endemic countries from one year to three months. And it no longer recommends that blood centers turn away donors who lived in certain European countries during the era when Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal degenerative brain disorder, was thought to be spreading.
The hospital community is rallying around the cause, holding blood drives of their own and encouraging family members of patients to donate blood.
During the first few months of the pandemic, Fuesel helped put together five small blood drives in her town of Orland Park, Illinois. They were so successful the American Red Cross and a local news broadcaster asked her to help run the seventh annual Great Chicago Blood Drive. So, she did, and on Jan. 13, that event collected 330 units of blood at the Orland Park location and more than 2,000 units at other drives around the city.
For donors who might be nervous about giving blood during a pandemic, Fuesel has a message: Its safe and important. All the beds are spaced apart, and there are different stations when you walk in for getting your temperature checked and using hand sanitizer, Fuesel says. I know these are hard times, but it doesnt cost anything to give your blood. Its a way to help.
The rest is here:
Keep it Flowing: Combating COVID-19 Blood Shortages in Cancer Treatment - Curetoday.com
- Stem Cell Therapy Market Potential Growth, Size, Share, Demand and Analysis of Key Players Research Forecasts to 2025 - The Courier - March 8th, 2021
- Animal Stem Cell Therapy Market Size, Industry Analysis, Growth Factors, Trends, and Regional Forecast to 2027 - The Courier - March 8th, 2021
- Pericardial Injection Effective, Less Invasive Way to Get Regenerative Therapies to Heart - NC State News - March 8th, 2021
- Biomarkers Help Predict the Role of Chemotherapy in Biologic Aging - OncLive - March 8th, 2021
- Glial Cell Discovery Could Point the Way to Motor Neuron Disease Therapies - Technology Networks - March 8th, 2021
- Mouth Sores from Chemo: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments - Healthline - February 19th, 2021
- ThermoGenesis Holdings Begins a Year of Celebration of its 35th Anniversary in the Cell Banking and Cell Therapy Industry - PRNewswire - February 19th, 2021
- Meet the women hoping to recruit more stem cells donors from Black communities - CTV News - February 19th, 2021
- CAR T-Cell Therapy Carves Out a Role in Multiple Myeloma - OncLive - February 19th, 2021
- AI project to power the future of stem cell manufacturing - TechCentral.ie - February 17th, 2021
- Promising Results for Stem Cell Treatment of Degenerative ... - February 14th, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Disease - Cleveland Clinic - February 14th, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke Recovery | University of ... - February 14th, 2021
- Stem Cell Treatment: Future of Modern Medicine | Science Times - February 14th, 2021
- Researchers may have found a miracle cure for baldness - BGR - February 14th, 2021
- Types of leukemia: Prevalence, treatment options, and prognosis - Medical News Today - February 14th, 2021
- Jasper Therapeutics Announces Launch of New Clinical Trial with National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to Evaluate JSP191 in Sickle Cell Disease -... - February 14th, 2021
- Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Set to Reach USD 214.5 Million by 2024 - The Courier - February 14th, 2021
- Network-based screen in iPSC-derived cells reveals therapeutic candidate for heart valve disease - Science - February 14th, 2021
- AlloVir Research Presented at the 2021 Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meeting Digital Experience - Business Wire - February 14th, 2021
- Orchard Therapeutics talks the benefits of HSC therapy - BioProcess Insider - February 14th, 2021
- Protein Discovery in the Development of New Hearing Hair Cells Could Lead to Treatments for Hearing Loss - SciTechDaily - February 7th, 2021
- Stem cells efficacy confirmed in treating ototoxic hearing loss - Korea Biomedical Review - February 4th, 2021
- Groundbreaking Trial Shows Umbilical-Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusions Save Lives of Sickest COVID-19 Patients - HospiMedica - January 22nd, 2021
- Massive Growth in Canine Stem Cell Therapy Market Set to Witness Huge Growth by 2027| VETSTEM BIOPHARMA, Cell Therapy Sciences, Regeneus, Aratana... - January 22nd, 2021
- Autologous stem cell transplantation versus bortezomib for the first line treatment of systemic light chain amyloidosis in the UK - DocWire News - January 22nd, 2021
- Promising Steps Toward Retinal Cell Transplants to Fight Blindness - HealthDay News - January 22nd, 2021
- Hemostemix Announces the Bread Contract with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade & Development Canada - InvestorIntel - January 22nd, 2021
- Trending News on Targeted Oncology, Week of January 22, 2021 - Targeted Oncology - January 22nd, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy Market Size, Growth Opportunities, Trends, Key Players and Forecast to 2027 - The Courier - January 22nd, 2021
- Time To Book Profit In Fate Therapeutics Stock After A 5x Rally? - Forbes - January 22nd, 2021
- Reid Merryman, MD, on Study Findings Investigating Prognostic Value of ctDNA for Patients with DLBCL - Cancer Network - January 22nd, 2021
- Co-founder Thomas Smeenk on the benefits of Hemostemix autologous stem cell therapy - InvestorIntel - January 12th, 2021
- Covid-19 Impact On Stem Cell Therapy Market 2020 Huge Potential in Future Growth by 2027 | Magellan, Medipost Co., Ltd, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.,... - January 12th, 2021
- Adipose Derived Stem Cell Therapy Market Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2026 Coherent Market Insights | BioRestorative Therapies, Inc., Celltex... - January 12th, 2021
- New COVID-19 Treatment Uses Stem Cells - Freethink - January 12th, 2021
- Creative Medical Technology Holdings Files Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with FDA for Treatment of Stroke using ImmCelz Regenerative... - January 12th, 2021
- Global Cell Freezing Media for Cell Therapy Market 2020 Dynamics Analysis, Size Witness Growth Acceleration During 2025 - KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper - January 12th, 2021
- Gamida Cell to Present Full Data from Phase 3 Study of Omidubicel at TCT, the Combined Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and... - January 12th, 2021
- Cate Dyer of StemExpress is Named Businesswoman of the Year! - PRNewswire - January 12th, 2021
- Adocia Files Patent on a Hydrogel Scaffold for Cell Therapy in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes - Business Wire - January 12th, 2021
- Gene Therapy Market Estimated to Record Highest CAGR by 2024 - KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper - January 12th, 2021
- Stem cell treatment corrects skull shape and restores brain function in mouse model of childhood disorder - National Institutes of Health - January 9th, 2021
- Doctors Make Medical Breakthrough In Treating Severe Cases Of COVID - CBS New York - January 9th, 2021
- Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Report 2020: Market to Recover and Reach $14.76 Billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 19.62% - Forecast to 2030 - Yahoo Finance - January 9th, 2021
- Engineered stem cells that evade immune detection could boost cell therapy and I-O - FierceBiotech - January 9th, 2021
- BENEV Announces Investigative Report on Combination Treatment with Human Adipose Tissue Stem Cell- derived Exosomes and Fractional CO2 Laser for Acne... - January 9th, 2021
- Four promising COVID-19 therapies being tested at nearby UVA - Rappahannock News - January 9th, 2021
- MCL Landscape Adapts to Changes After CAR T-Cell Therapy Approval - OncLive - January 9th, 2021
- Regenerative Medicine Market to Reach Valuation US$ 23.7 Bn by 2027 - GlobeNewswire - January 9th, 2021
- Unlocking The Unlimited Potential Of Stem Cells - CodeBlue - January 9th, 2021
- Stem Cell Treatment Proving Highly Successful In Treating Most Severe Cases Of COVID - Yahoo News - January 9th, 2021
- Factor Bioscience spins out a new cell therapy player with eyes on the clinic within 2 years - Endpoints News - January 9th, 2021
- Comparison of the efficiency, safety, and survival outcomes in two stem cell mobilization regimens with cyclophosphamide plus G-CSF or G-CSF alone in... - January 9th, 2021
- Top 10 ALS Stories of 2020 - ALS News Today - January 9th, 2021
- Celularity and GX Acquisition Corp. Announce Merger Agreement to Create a Publicly Listed Leader in Allogeneic Cellular Therapy - BioSpace - January 9th, 2021
- Results Show Promising Efficacy in MCL With Next-Generation BTK Inhibitor LOXO-305 - Cancer Network - January 9th, 2021
- BlueRock Therapeutics in Collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Receives IND Clearance for DA01 in Parkinson's Disease - BioSpace - January 9th, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Types, And Applications Forecast To 2026 - Farming Sector - January 5th, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy Market by Treatment,Application,End Users and Geography Forecast To 2027 - LionLowdown - January 5th, 2021
- Stem Cell Therapy Market Analysis, COVID-19 Impact,Outlook, Opportunities, Size, Share Forecast and Supply Demand 2021-2025 - Farming Sector - January 5th, 2021
- AGC Biologics Confirms Cell and Gene Therapy Commercial Expertise as Manufacturer of Orchard Therapeutics' Newly Approved Libmeldy - PRNewswire - January 5th, 2021
- Forge Biologics Announces FDA Clearance of Investigational New Drug Application for Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial (RESKUE) of FBX-101 Gene Therapy for... - January 5th, 2021
- MorphoSys and Incyte Announce the Acceptance of the Swissmedic Marketing Authorization Application f - PharmiWeb.com - January 5th, 2021
- Healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma treated with proteasome inhibitors in... - January 5th, 2021
- Global Circulating Tumor Cells and Cancer Stem Cells Market To Reach A New Threshold of Growth By 2026 - The Courier - January 5th, 2021
- Catheters Market: Europe and North America Emerge as Leading Regional Market with Well-established Healthcare Infrastructure - BioSpace - January 5th, 2021
- The Worldwide Cell Isolation/Cell Separation Industry is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 16.8% Between 2020 to 2025 - PRNewswire - January 5th, 2021
- Near-infrared oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor integrates acute myeloid leukemiatargeted imaging and therapy - Science Advances - January 5th, 2021
- Global Cell Therapy Market Report 2020: Market to Recover in 2023 - PRNewswire - January 3rd, 2021
- Lonza's Cocoon will soon make dozens of stem cell therapies all at once - Innovation Origins - January 3rd, 2021
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Human Lung Organoids to Map and Treat the SARS-CoV2 Infections In Vitro - DocWire News - January 3rd, 2021
- Creative Medical Technology Holdings Announces Patent filing based on Preclinical Data in Model of Heart Attack using ImmCelz Regenerative... - January 3rd, 2021
- Haywards Heath carer trying to raise funds for MS treatment - The Argus - January 3rd, 2021
- Chronic graft-versus-host disease in children and adolescents with thalassemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation - DocWire News - January 3rd, 2021
- COVID-19-positive cancer patients undergoing active anticancer treatment: An analysis of clinical features and outcomes - DocWire News - January 3rd, 2021
- Cell Therapy Market 2020-2026 by Growth, Demand and Upcoming Business Opportunities - Farming Sector - January 3rd, 2021
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy Market Latest Trends and Future Growth Study by 2029 - Farming Sector - December 31st, 2020
- Creative Medical Technology Holdings Announces Reversion of Liver Failure Using ImmCelz Personalized Cellular Immunotherapy in Preclinical Model -... - December 31st, 2020
- Impacts of COVID 19 on Stem Cell Therapy Market 2020 Size, Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2026 - Factory Gate - December 31st, 2020