Successful bone marrow transplantation for a 9-month-old girl in Abu Dhabi

A nine-month-old girl underwent a successful bone marrow transplant, as marrow transplantation was the only way to save her life from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (acute leukemia), and her eight-year-old sister's bone marrow was donated to her, after matching was verified.

The suffering of Afifa, the fourth child of her family, began when she was only 3 months old, as she had a fever for several days and was pale. She was taken to a hospital in Ajman, and the results of the tests showed that there was something abnormal and may be related to the presence of cancer, which prompted her parents To bring her to Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi for additional tests, which revealed that she has acute lymphoblastic leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that develops rapidly if treated promptly.

Consultant Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Burjeel Medical City, Dr. Zain Al-Abidin said: “Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the common cancers in children, but it needs aggressive treatment. Once we diagnosed the disease, we evaluated the child’s bone marrow, and the advanced genetic test showed The presence of a serious genetic mutation, and the only treatment for her disease according to the international protocol was a bone marrow transplant, and of course the donor must be from a member of her family to match his tissues with the patient.

In bone marrow transplants from donors, the patient's bone marrow is replaced with healthy blood stem cells obtained from a donor (the ideal donor) who is fully matched according to HLA antigens to ensure immune compatibility and non-rejection by the patient's body. Accordingly, after numerous examinations, it was found that The girl's sister, who is 8 years old, is most suitable for this operation.

Nazia, the donor to her sister, said: "I was very sad when the doctors told me that my little sister was very sick. I felt happy when my parents told me that I could help her with treatment. I was not afraid, and now I feel that she is my twin sister."

treatment plan

Based on the CCLG protocol in the UK, the medical team continued chemotherapy to stabilize the infant and prepare her for the procedure. A highly advanced bone marrow transplant was performed at Burjeel Medical City last month, after which the infant underwent strict medical care to monitor her body's response to the new cells. In the days following the operation, she suffered from some complications such as infection of the bloodstream, which the medical team managed to treat and overcome, and with observation, the success of the transplant was 100% verified.

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