Report: Fetal stem cells trigger tumors in ill boy

Report: Fetal stem cells trigger tumors in ill boy

www.breitbart.com

A family desperate to save a child from a lethal brain disease sought highly experimental injections of fetal stem cells—injections that triggered tumors in the boy's brain and spinal cord,

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 17-2-2009 by The Undertaker]

Mod Edit: Review This Link: Instructions for the Breaking News Forums

* Copy the exact headline of the story into the headline field, don't make one up or sensationalize it. Submissions with inaccurate, biased or otherwise deceptive headlines may be moved, closed or deleted.

[edit on 2/18/2009 by semperfortis]

This can't be allowed to stop Stem Cell research. As tragic as this story is, Stem Cells are the 21st centuries Penicillin. This research has so much potential to help so many people that it has to be allowed to continue. The potential for governing agencies to shelve this technology has to be watched by everyone.

www.breitbart.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 2/18/2009 by semperfortis]

The fact is "Embryonic" stem cells USUALLY result in disaster. See:

Researchers in China met with a disastrous result. Fetal tissue injected into a patient's brain produced temporary improvement, but within two years the patient developed a brain tumor and died. An autopsy revealed that the fetal cells had taken root, but had then metamorphed into other types of human tissue - hair, skin and bone. These grew into the tumor, which killed the patient.

A devastating result occurred at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In some of the patients, the implanted embryonic cells apparently grew too well, churning out so much of a chemical that controls movement that they writhed and jerked uncontrollably. Dr. Paul E. Greene called the uncontrollable movements developed by some patients as "absolutely devastating." He said, "They chew constantly, their fingers go up and down, their writs flex and distend. It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off. No more fetal transplants. We are absolutely and adamantly convinced that this should be considered for research only."

Diane Irving, Ph.D., a former professor of biology at Georgetown University and former biochemist with the National Cancer Institute, said, "I have argued that adult stem cells are better because they are closer to the stage of differentiation than embryonic or fetal cells - therefore they do not have as long a distance to travel differentiation-wise as the younger cells. Therefore there is far less of a chance for genetic errors to be accumulated in the implanted cells and less side effects for the patient to deal with."

In stark contrast to the failures of embryonic stem cell research, the future looks very promising for treatment with adult stem cells.

www.lifeissues.org...

The fact is there have ONLY been successes with "ADULT" stem cells.

Look It Up

Mod Edit: No Quote/Plagiarism – Please Review This Link.

Mod Edit: New External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.





[edit on 18-2-2009 by Crakeur]

Aren't autologous stem cells a far better option anyway? I haven't heard of any such side effects with them but I could be mistaken. I don't know much about stem cells.

If he already had a brain disease.
Whos to say the stem cells caused the tumors?

reply to post by BorgHoffen
Thats exactly what they are claiming. It's just that this technology is so promising that unfortunate cases like this shouldn't halt all research.

The key word here is EXPERIMENTAL.

They knew the risks going in. That may sound harsh, but it's true.

needless to say, this will be trumpeted from the neocons as a reason to halt stem cell research...

Good thing they can't do crap for at least 2 years

Stuff like this happens when it comes to medical research... the fact that they were willing to try experimental treatment probably means he didn't have a snowballs chance in hell of surviving if he declined the treatment...

Sad that it turned out this way... but I truely hope the Doctors got a good look at what was going on, and document away... so this tragedy can be learned from..

I think this just could possibly be a case of the stem cell treatment not working properly.They haven't perfected it yet.
The tumor part he probably already had started growing, because they are prone to growths in the body due to decreased immune response.
He has this disease, ataxia telangiectasia.
en.wikipedia.org...
Its very rare and genetic.
The tumor fortunately however, was slow growing and benign.
And they managed to remove it, and they found no other signs of cancer.
And the boy is stable.
I think this is more of a be careful, not stop it all together.
I think they just want to make sure that the risk of trying these treatments, is not worse than the effects of the disorder or disease.

Originally posted by Uniceft17
The key word here is EXPERIMENTAL.

They knew the risks going in. That may sound harsh, but it's true.

Agree'd.

reply to post by BorgHoffen


Very good. Stem cells are a subject I hope to have the opportunity to work with or study in some form in the future. I don't know much, but I do know that they react to a variety of stimuli to "decide" what to differentiate into. My first thought is to attempt to cause partial differentiation before implantation.

The weakened immune system thing was very interesting and perceptive of you, fyi.

Just another example of how embryonic stem cells only result in cancer and tumors. The only useful and successful treatments using stem cells are from adult stem cells. I don't know why there are so many wanting to kill children so they can utilize their aborted tissues to start cancer growth in others who could be possibly helped by adult stem cells in which nobody is hurt harvesting them? Very perplexing.

Those used were from an aborted fetus..not embryo. The new recently FDA approved eSc treatment for spinal cord injuries may yield a totally different result. That is not set to commense until this summer.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


I don't know who you are, but I can tell you that you don't know a thing about what you're talking about, judging from what you said.

reply to post by Johnmike

I don't know who you are, but I can tell you that you don't know a thing about what you're talking about, judging from what you said.

Can you please direct us to an article about a successful embryonic stem cell treatment? Seeing as you think you know what you're talking about.

Here's an article about multiple adult stem cell treatments, and this article is from 2004. There have been many more since then.

Stem cells that go wiggy is what cancer/tumors are.

Using stem cells to treat a disease that is a disease of .....stem cells... is just a bit illogical isn't it?