University Hospitals' pioneering bone marrow transplant program: Forty years & 3,000 patients

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center’s pioneering bone marrow transplant (BMT) program is marking its 40th anniversary and 3,000th transplant with a celebration on Sept. 24 for transplant patients and their families. The first transplant patient and the 3,000th, as well as about 80 other patients and about 150 family members, UH physicians, and other invited guests, will celebrate the milestone at First Energy Stadium.

The program also will honor Hillard Lazarus, MD, who led the BMT program for most of its existence. Dr. Lazarus is internationally recognized for his contributions blood and marrow transplantation for malignancies. He has more than 600 publications to his name. BMTs offer superior outcomes for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood types of cancer.

The 3,000th patient is Jim Harrison who returned to his Wadsworth home on Aug. 4 following three weeks at UH Seidman Cancer Center for a BMT to treat his multiple myeloma. The 63-year-old machine operator is eager to feel the sun on his face, place his piano and be surrounded by his wife, five children and 10 grandchildren.

Ehsan Malek, MD, Harrison’s lead oncologist, said the autologous stem cell transplant is an important step in rendering the longest remission for this type of disease. Harrison’s cancer is complicated by kidney failure, requiring hemodialysis, and amyloidosis, a rare incurable disease in which the body has an abnormal protein buildup in tissue and organs.

Harrison firmly believes UH Seidman is the best choice for anyone needing cancer care. “We’re so fortunate to have this cancer center in Cleveland,” declared Harrison, who just a year ago was still well and living an active lifestyle in Medina County. “It’s heaven-sent. I’m glad I came here.”

As a founding center in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trial Network, UH patients have access to clinical trials either developed here or as part of multicenter studies.

For more information about the Stem Cell / Bone Marrow Transplant Program:

http://www.uhhospitals.org/seidman/services/hematologic-malignancies-care-team/stem-cell-transplant-program

See the special care for which Dr. Malek and the BMT team are known:

http://www.uhhospitals.org/seidman/services/hematologic-malignancies-care-team/ricks-story