Cleveland-based MetroHealth's "Blood and Marrow Transplant" program is expanding and preparing to perform its first stem cell transplant later this month.
The transplant program is designed to help patients who face barriers to care or may struggle to meet requirements at other transplant centers, according to an April 6 system release. It utilizes social support services like food assistance to help patients prepare for a transplant.
"Many of our patients have limited resources," William Tse, MD, MetroHealth's division director of hematology and oncology, said in the release. "If we simply use a conventional transplant approach, our outcomes may be poorer because our patients may be riskier to treat. We want to provide a safer, more supportive approach to transplant."
The first stem cell transplant is scheduled for mid-April. Several other patients have already been identified for transplants, with procedures scheduled over the next few months.