Boy treated at BGS for uncommon genetic condition

 2023 January 3 01:38 IST Update

Bengaluru: About a year ago, a 13-year-old patient with bleeding and a 4000 platelet platelet count was taken to BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital. Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a deadly blood cancer, has developed in the patient's Fanconi anaemia (inherited type of aplastic anaemia), according to clinical examination and a thorough review of the patient (AML).

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare hereditary condition that affects several different organs, including the bone marrow. In persons with Fanconi anaemia, the bone marrow is unable to create normal blood cells and platelets. FA sufferers are more prone than the general population to experience blood issues and numerous forms of malignancy. The most frequent structural abnormality in FA patients is low stature.

By treating the kid of blood cancer, the BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital's experienced team—which comprised Dr. Govind Eriat, Consultant-Hematology and BMT Medicine, Dr. Rajeev Vijayakumar, Consultant, Medical Oncologist, Haemato-Oncologist, and BMT Physician—achieved a significant win. HAPLO ALLO HSCT was the next step since without treatment, the kid would not survive for very long due to bone marrow loss or a return of blood cancer. However, it was discouraging because the child didn't have a sibling and we couldn't find a match in the donor registry. Appropriate transplant treatment was started.

One of the parents voluntarily offered to be the donor as a last resort following a comprehensive examination and counselling of the extremely high risk status of HSCT in terms of mortality and morbidity. The procedure was a haplo identical HSCT transplant, sometimes referred to as a partially matched or half-matched transplant. The youngster was discharged from the hospital with full engraftment, and his or her experience through hospitalisation and discharge resembled riding a roller coaster. This case serves as an example of how persistence, great collaboration, and faith in science can lead to miracles and motivate us to care for our patients, concluded Dr. Prerana S Nesargi.