Monday, March 30, 2015
Champlain LHIN Funds Technology for Blood and Marrow Transplant Patients
Treatment Closer to Home Improves Access to Care
March 30, 2015: Champlain residents can now receive a treatment that was previously only available in Toronto, thanks to a partnership between the Champlain LHIN, Cancer Care Ontario and The Ottawa Hospital.
Patients that receive a blood or marrow transplant to cure leukemia or lymphoma often develop a second condition called Graft Versus Host Disease. In fact, 40 per cent of patients get an acute or chronic form of this severe and disabling condition. Because the immune system grows out of bone marrow, it is as if the new immune system rejects the body. Graft Versus Host Disease leads to a number of complications including damage to vital organs and skin ulcers that don’t heal.
High-dose steroids are the first-line treatment, but after prolonged use, they affect tissues and patients are at a higher risk for infections. Close to half of patients require additional treatment, as well as steroids. For many, photopheresis – a weekly treatment that alters white blood cells – is the preferred additional treatment. Until recently, however, most Champlain patients did not receive this treatment because of the medical, financial and emotional burdens associated with frequent and extended travel to Toronto.
Dorothy Caroll received a bone marrow transplant to treat Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), a type of cancer that starts in white blood cells. Several years after receiving the bone marrow transplant from her sister, Dorothy developed chronic Graft Versus Host Disease.
“I am thrilled beyond measure to have this treatment available to patients in Ottawa,” says Dorothy. “I travelled to Toronto for two and a half years for treatment. The travelling was not only physically taxing, but also financially challenging.
Dr. Christopher Bredeson, Head of Malignant Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at The Ottawa Hospital, played an important role in bringing this treatment to Ottawa. The Champlain LHIN provided about $80,000 for the purchase of the photopheresis machine. Cancer Care Ontario is funding most of the operational costs and the remainder is paid for by The Ottawa Hospital.
“We now have a state-of-the-art therapy for one of the main complications of transplants that decreases patients’ quality of life,” says Dr. Bredeson. “If the leg ulcers are gone, if there is no need to place dressings on the legs three times a week, that’s much better. If the patient’s mobility improves and they can live more independently, then this is a home-run.”
Photopheresis therapy withdraws blood from the body over a period of three to four hours and separates the white blood cells from the red blood cells and plasma. The red blood cells and plasma are immediately returned to the patient. The white blood cells are treated with methoxsalen, a drug used to treat some skin disorders in conjunction with ultraviolet-A light (UVA). The treated white blood cells make the immune system more ‘tolerant’ and reduce symptoms of immune rejection.
Dorothy says her health has greatly improved since she started receiving her treatments in Ottawa. “It makes such a difference in my life. Needless to say, that I had depressive moments. I was in tears more than I smiled. I did get better.
Since the program started in January 2015, six patients are receiving treatment and three others are referred and awaiting treatment. Patients usually receive photopheresis for between six months and a couple of years before their condition improves to the point where they are able to discontinue treatment. It is expected that by the end of this year, more than 20 patients will be receiving photopheresis to treat their Graft Versus Host Disease. The demand for photopheresis at The Ottawa Hospital will increase as more patients receive blood and marrow transplants each year.
If you are a journalist needing more information, please contact our
Media Line
613.747.3250
Toll-free 1.866.902.5446 x 3250
champlain.media@lhins.on.ca
If you are a health service provider and are looking for more
information on this program, please contact:
Brenda Leury
The Ottawa Hospital
613.737.8899 x 73904
bleury@toh.on.ca
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