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干细胞资讯
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神经系统癌症的治疗
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Feb. 12, 2008
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Caden Ledbetter's stem cell transplant in December was a test of modern medicine.
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The six weeks of blood transfusions, fevers and fits that followed, all in an isolated hospital room,
was a test of the Coppell toddler's spirit. In the latter battle, Caden came out a winner Monday.
Doctors released the 2-year-old from Medical City Dallas Hospital, where he spent nearly two months
in treatment for neuroblastoma, which is a fast-growing cancer of the nervous system.
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The centerpiece of Caden's care was an unusual transplant, in which stem cells taken from his own
umbilical cord at birth were pumped back into his body Dec. 28.
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It's unclear whether Caden will get his health back, but his freedom returned Monday.
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Wearing a surgical mask and a look of trepidation, Caden walked through the hospital lobby Monday
afternoon with a teddy bear in his hand. Caden's parents and doctor cheered as the boy broke through
a set of streamers that nurses had taped up at the hospital doors.
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"He's been here for so long," said Robin McCune, a pediatric nurse. Without Caden, "it will be an
adjustment. Everybody just adores him."
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Caden's transplant appears to have been a success. Doctors wiped out his cancerous cells with
chemotherapy and replaced them with his prenatal stem cells, which grew and rebuilt most of Caden's
immune system.
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The question is whether Caden's new cells will develop cancer, as his old ones did. An answer could
take years.
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"It's just the uncertainty of the future that gets a little bit scary," said Caden's mother, Lexie
Ledbetter. "You've got to stay with today and say, 'Yay, we're going home' and see what happens then."
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Neuroblastoma had spread to Caden's bones, liver and bone marrow by the time his mother discovered a
lump on his head last summer.
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Donors usually supply cord blood for stem-cell transplants, but Caden's parents paid to save his own
on a whim.
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The stem-cell transplant using one's own cord blood is so unheard of that experts disagree on the
long-term benefits of using it to treat cancer.
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Dr. Joel Weinthal, a Texas Oncology physician who is treating Caden, says it's the boy's best shot
against a deadly disease that comes back about half the time.
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"We're not talking about his being cured of his neuroblastoma right now," said Dr. Weinthal.
"It's certainly a very positive thing that he gets to go home from the hospital, but he has a long
road ahead of him."
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The first stop Monday was the family home in Coppell, which looked ready for a new baby more than a
recovering hospital patient.
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Balloons and welcome-home signs waited in the front yard, and Caden's beaming grandparents stood at
the door.
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"I went to work today, but I couldn't do much of anything," said Mary Collins, Caden's maternal
grandmother. "I couldn't even eat lunch."
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Caden's 5-year-old twin brothers, Joshua and Zachary, raced out the front door when they saw the
family's black sport utility vehicle pull up.
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"Part of it is they miss him, and part is they really want his toys," Mrs. Ledbetter said, laughing.
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It was business as usual when the three boys got inside – singing karaoke, playing with their trucks
and watching a video of Caden's favorite singing group, the Wiggles.
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Mrs. Ledbetter and her husband, John, equipped the family home with air purifiers, a new heating and
air-conditioning system and dust-free air ducts – all to protect Caden's fragile immune system.
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There will be almost daily doctor visits, as Caden continues special radiation treatments for cancer.
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His parents are as realistic as the doctors about Caden's health. On Monday, they were reassured by
his renewed spirits.
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At the hospital, "he didn't talk and everything was 'No, don't touch me,' " Mrs. Ledbetter said.
"Now we're almost back to the Caden that we know."
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By STACI HUPP / The Dallas Morning News
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