1,721,026 research outputs found
Transplant of bone marrow and cord blood hematopoietic stem cells in pediatric practice, revisited according to the fundamental principles of bioethics
No full textThe two most widely used sources of hematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplants in pediatric practice are bone marrow (BM) and cord blood (CB), While bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is reaching its 30th year of application, human umbilical cord blood transplantation (HUCBT) is approaching its 10th. Although these procedures have basically the same purpose, a number of biological differences distinguish them. In particular, the intrinsically limited quantity of CB stem cells and their immunological naivete confer peculiar characteristics to these hematopoietic progenitors. From a bioethical point of view, the problems which have repeatedly been raised when the BM donor is a child are well-known. Different but no less important ethical problems are raised when one considers HUCBT; in this regard the most important issues are the easier propensity of programming a CB donor in comparison with a BM donor (clearly due to the shorter time interval needed to collect the hematopoietic progenitors); the in utero HLA-typing; the implication of employing 'blood belonging to a neonate' for a third party; the need to perform a number of investigations both on the CB of the donor and on the mother and the implications that the discovery of disease may have for them, but also the need to establish banks for storing CB, with the accompanying administration and management problems. All these different aspects of UCBT will be discussed in the light of the four fundamental and traditional principles of bioethics, namely autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice
Alternative therapies and the Di Bella affair in pediatrics. A questionnaire submitted to Italian pediatric oncologists and hematologists
No full textOver the last 2-3 years in particular, the so-called Di Bella therapy (DBT) become the most famous of alternative treatments applied to pediatric oncology and hematology in Italy. Many Italian oncologists and hematologists had to cope with the problems that it introduced and the treatment also elicited heated reactions all over Europe. We attempted to evaluate the impact of this treatment on children with cancer. A questionnaire prepared with the aim of addressing the use of alternative therapies in pediatric hematology and oncology was circulated to the 48 centers (or divisions) belonging to AIEOP (Associazione Italiana di Oncoematologia Pediatrica) [Italian Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Association] and FONOP (Forza Operativa Nazionale di Oncologia Pediatrica) [National Pediatric Oncology Task Force]. The questionnaire consisted of 9 questions elaborated to give credit to the case-related and professional experiences of the colleagues we contacted. Forty-three centers replied to the questionnaire. Request to switch to DBT represented a considerable problem, involving the vast majority of centers participating into this study; however, case quantification varied greatly from center to center. One of the most significant aspects is that children switched to DBT, abandoning conventional therapies, were often relapsing or had had multiple relapses (from solid tumor or leukemia), but some children abandoned conventional therapies at an early stage and/or without fully exploiting the curative potential of these therapies. This study allowed us to obtain an evaluation of the impact of DBT in children with oncologic or hematologic disorders. It also highlights the importance of cultivating physician-parent dialogue and provides an opportunity for a few pedagogic thoughts on the attitude and opinions of pediatricians on this problem
Bioethical aspects of new therapeutic options involving haematopoietic stem cells (a "biosolidarity" of donation)
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Transplant of bone marrow and cord blood hematopoietic stem cells in children, revisited according to the fundamental principles of bioethics
No full textThe two most widely used sources of hematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplants in pediatric practice are bone marrow (BM) and cord blood (CB). While bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is reaching its 30th year of application, human umbilical cord blood transplantation (HUCBT) is approaching its 10th. Although these procedures have basically the same purpose, a number of biological differences distinguish them. In particular, the intrinsically limited quantity of CB stem cells and their immunological naiveté confer peculiar characteristics to these hematopoietic progenitors. From a bioethical point of view, the problems which have repeatedly been raised when the BM donor is a child are well-known. Different but no less important ethical problems are raised when one considers HUCBT; in this regard the most important issues are the easier propensity of programming a CB donor in comparison with a BM donor (clearly due to the shorter time interval needed to collect the hematopoietic progenitors); the in utero HLA-typing; the implication of employing 'blood belonging to a neonate' for a third party; the need to perform a number of investigations both on the CB of the donor and on the mother and the implications that the discovery of disease may have for them, but also the need to establish banks for storing CB, with the accompanying administration and management problems. All these different aspects of UCBT will be discussed in the light of the four fundamental and traditional principles of bioethics, namely autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice
Ethical reappraisal of 15 years of cord blood transplantation
No full textSince the first successful use of cord blood as source of haemopoietic stem cells for transplantation in 1988, more than 2000 patients with malignant or non-malignant disorders have been treated with this procedure. Collection and storage of cord blood has prompted ethical considerations, mainly dealing with the issues of autonomy in making decisions about donation of cord blood, and of privacy and confidentiality in the tests required before use of placental cells for transplantation. The ethical implications of possible storage of cord-blood cells for autologous use has also been discussed. Preimplantation selection of HLA-matched embryos to obtain a donor of cells for cord-blood transplantation of a sibling with a life-threatening disease has raised the issue of the extent to which this approach complies with the principles of bioethics
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