Stem cells could be a life-saving solution for cancer patients, doctor

Stem cell transplants aren't yet performed in Moldova and there isn't a common bank to store such cells. Presently collection procedures are performed at private institutions and if a transplant is needed, a patient must travel abroad, Iurie Chelea, the head of the National Cancer Institute's Hematologic Department, has told Info-Prim Neo. The specialist says that if transplants were to be performed in Moldova the Cancer Institute would most likely be the institution to do them, because only cancer patients, or more precisely patients with cancer forms that affect blood, require such transplants. Iurie Chelea says that stem cells are crucial in fighting such types of cancer and a unique bank would be a life-saving solution for the patients. “However, such a bank requires very expensive specialized equipment to collect and store these cells. I'm afraid our state cannot afford such expenses”. Stem cells require special storage conditions. They are stored in liquid nitrogen freezers at minus 200 degrees Celsius where they are preserved until a transplant is needed for patients with types of cancer originating in the blood or the bone marrow.