Russia is sorely lacking stem cells

Kudrat Abdulkadyrov: 7 to 10 thousand Russians need stem cell transplantation every year
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 16.03.2011

Every year, 7 to 10 thousand Russians need stem cell transplantation, while the number of such operations in the country does not exceed 560.

As the head of the clinical department "Hematology" with the Department of bone marrow transplantation of the Russian Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology, the chief hematologist of St. Petersburg Kudrat Abdulkadyrov told today, in Russia every year various tumor diseases of the blood system are detected in 20-22 thousand people. He stressed that, according to experts, currently about 70-75 thousand Russians suffer from various tumor diseases of the circulatory system, 7-10 thousand of whom need bone marrow or blood stem cells transplantation.

At the same time, according to the chief hematologist of the northern capital, only 558 transplants per year can be provided by Russian doctors. "This is extremely small, but there are not so many branches in our country that could provide for all those in need," he said. Abdulkadyrov said that there are only 13 departments in Russia, which are designed for 6-10 beds each and have licenses for transplantation, as well as 70-75 certified hematologists, oncologists, transfusiologists and other specialists.

He stressed that the largest department of transplantation – the St. Petersburg State Medical Institution Raisa Gorbacheva Center - has a quota of 160 people and has 60 transplant beds. According to Abdulkadyrov, Hematology can perform up to 60 transplants per year, but permission for such operations must be obtained from the Ministry of Health. "Our institute was given 27 transplants in 2010. At the same time, the center must perform at least 20 operations a year so that the staff maintains their qualifications at the proper level," said the chief hematologist of St. Petersburg.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru16.03.2011