LUTH starts bone marrow transplant to treat sickle cell disease

In order to cure sickle cell disease, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN) have launched a high-quality, safe bone marrow transplant procedure that satisfies international standards.

This was announced Friday in Lagos through a joint statement from the National Director of Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN), Dr. Annette Akinsete, and the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, of the hospital.

It said Nigeria had the most significant burden of sickle cell disease worldwide, explaining that individuals affected by the disease suffer life-threatening complications from early childhood, serious damage to their organs and reduced life expectancy.

The statement said: “Recognising the gaps in care for individuals affected by the disease in Nigeria, SCFN and LUTH established a bone marrow transplant programme at LUTH.

“In preparation for a locally adapted and cost-effective bone marrow transplant programme in Nigeria, a post-transplant clinic was initially established in 2019, a first in sub-Saharan Africa, to provide post-transplant care to patients who had travelled to other countries for bone marrow or stem cell transplant.

“The establishment of comprehensive care programmes includes newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, and Transcranial Doppler screening in children to identify those at risk of stroke.

“This is followed by chronic blood transfusion therapy and the increasing use of hydroxyurea therapy has improved the proportion of children surviving into adulthood.

“But it has not improved the proportion of adults living to older age, especially for the most severely affected.

“Bone marrow transplant, using a donor from a family member, is an established cure for this disease,” the statement said.

According to the statement, bone marrow transplant is associated with known complications, such as infection and graft-versus-host disease (when donor cells can attack the patient), infertility, and even death.

It explained that the procedure has been much improved over the last 20 years to ensure good outcomes and limit complications.

“Bone marrow transplant is now an approved therapy for children and adults with severe sickle cell disease. Bone marrow transplant is a complex procedure requiring a multidisciplinary team approach and involves treatment and close follow-up for approximately 12 months,” it said.

The statement mentioned how the cost and complexity have severely limited who can receive this treatment.

It said that the majority of them sought care outside of Nigeria, which puts patients and their families through a great deal of hardship.

A high-level multidisciplinary team of paediatricians, adult haematologists, psychiatrists, anaesthesiologists, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, and other ancillary health personnel is said to be involved in the LUTH/SCFN bone marrow transplant program.

It said the programme had been guided by the scientific expertise and leadership of Prof. Adetola Kassim of Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, stressing that to further strengthen expertise in the programme, Prof. Josudela Fuente from the Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust UK joined the team in 2022.

The statement said: “The first set of patients is currently undergoing bone marrow transplants at LUTH and was admitted in the last week of August 2024.

“They received a treatment regimen of exchange blood transfusions, chemotherapy and anti-infective prophylaxis to prepare them for the infusion of bone marrow stem cells that were harvested from family donors, processed and given September 17 and September 19, 2024.

“Both patients are currently undergoing immediate post-transplant care within the transplant unit at LUTH.

“We want to express our appreciation to patients and families, the management of LUTH and SCFN, board of directors, the Lagos State government, Chevron, collaborative and technical partners, and other dedicated workers who worked around the clock to ensure success of this programme.”