7,000th Patient Receives Stem Cell Transplant

Just looking at and listening to him, you wouldn't know Dr. Jeffery Zwerin just had a major procedure. He is the 7,000TH patient to undergo a stem-cell transplant at UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy.

"That was just by coincidence, but it's not by coincidence that everyone wants to come here,” Dr. Zwerin says.

He's from Northern California and helps make up the 75% of patients the Myeloma Institute sees.

For the transplant, doctors must collect a patient's stem cells before high-dose chemotherapy is begun.

"In order to give the patient high-dose chemotherapy, we have to make sure the patient's immunity comes back quickly, because high-dose chemo will destroy all the cells that make the immunity,” Dr. Elias Anaissie, in the Myeloma Institute says.

And to help the bone marrow recover quickly after high-dose chemo, doctors then transfuse the patient's stem cells back into their body.

"I have these IV lines are in place and they just gave them through, intravenous, took about 20 minutes."

Dr. Anaissie says with these types of transplants, survival and remission rates are higher and that makes Dr. Zwerin optimistic about his treatment.

"This is basically the best place in the world to get your treatment. You don't get to do 7,000 transplants unless you have the system down."

UAMS, which began transplants in 19-89, has performed more blood stem cell transplants for Myeloma, than any other facility in the world.