Radiation Oncology/Drugs/Cell therapy

• Cell therapy (also called cellular therapy, cell transplantation, or cytotherapy) is a therapy in which viable cells are injected, grafted or implanted into a patient in order to effectuate a medicinal effect

- e.g. transplanting T-cells capable of fighting cancer cells via cell-mediated immunity in the course of immunotherapy

- e.g. grafting stem cells to regenerate diseased tissues

Stem-cell therapy

• Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition

• As of 2016, the only established therapy using stem cells is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)

• This usually takes the form of a bone marrow transplantation, but the cells can also be derived from umbilical cord blood

• Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells as well as to apply stem-cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

• Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood

• It may be autologous (the patient's own stem cells are used), allogeneic (the stem cells come from a donor) or syngeneic (from an identical twin)