Stem Cell Treatment Procedure in the Philippines – Review

Stem Cell Treatment Procedure in the Philippines. Stem cell transplant is one of the most innovative discoveries in the field of medicine and it is currently not yet fully authorized to practice in the Philippines until however the present accreditation of hospitals, clinics, and health facilities entirely complied with the DOH -Department of Health’s requirements for total accreditation of Stem Cell Therapy and Treatment.

The deadline is until August 31, 2013 so hospitals and clinics offering stem cell therapy and procedures can apply for accreditation until the end of the month. Furthermore, foreign doctors are strictly required to secure permits in performing stem cell therapy in this country.

stem cell treatment in the philippines

In this post, I’m gonna share about the less risky and painless procedure of stem cell therapy and treatment which is Umbilical Cord Stem Cell and Blood Banking. The other way, bone marrow stem cell treatment, is risky than umbilical cord stem cell therapy and it requires surgery and anaesthesia.

Some other stem cell therapies also exist, but most are at experimental stages, costly or controversial according to this source. Take note that every treatment has different procedure and methodology. I am only sharing here about umbilical cord or cord blood stem cells.

You save your money in the bank for future needs, why not save your baby’s cord blood in the bank to cure future deadly diseases.”

Umbilical cord blood banking could be the most worthwhile health insurance in the modern world. Why? Simply because it cures over 80 numbers of deadly diseases including cancer and some other injuries. That 80 are still growing rapidly.

What are Stem Cells?

Stem Cells are cells that can regenerate and turn into the cells that form all other tissues, organs, and systems in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. They replenish without limit of new cells or tissues to replace destroyed and injured ones.

What are Cord Blood Stem Cells?

Cord blood stem cells are the most advantageous types of stem cells due to their higher rates of proliferation, immunological immaturity, and reduced exposure to viruses and aging. The latest Science has discovered is through the umbilical cord stem cells after the human embryonic stem cells. They are proven safe in the human body and have been used effectively in medical treatments. With these lifesaving treatments, cord blood banking is now widely advised for future stem cell therapy needs.

Cord Blood Banking Procedure

Cord blood is collected after the baby is born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. No worries because it won’t even hurt the mother and the baby. 🙂 Once the cord blood has been collected, it is sent to a laboratory for processing and storage. You can either donate your baby’s cord blood in a public donation bank anonymously or store it exclusively in a private family bank for your own family medical needs in the future.

What are the differences between cord blood stem cells vs. bone marrow?

  • Cord blood transplant is painless and invasive while in bone marrow transplant, the patient may experience more pain and collection of blood in the hip uses large needles. Ouch!
  • In cord blood transplant, stem cells are collected from the placenta or from the umbilical cord at the time of delivery while stem cells from bone marrow require a surgical procedure, usually under general anaesthesia. Just imagine the post-operative pain and small risk to the donor. In terms of risk, bone marrow transplant is so risky.
  • In cord blood stem cells a wide range of recipients or beneficiaries may benefit from it because these stem cells can be stored and transplanted back into the donor, to a close family member or even matched unrelated recipient while in bone marrow transplant, a perfect match must be strictly confirmed. This is because stem cells from cord blood are very regenerative and adoptive. Isn’t it a magic!
  • Cord blood transplant is pretty much cheaper than bone marrow.
  • Cord blood transplant can be done sooner than bone marrow because the time and access to acquire cord blood is so quick Units are pre-harvested and median search time is less than one month. While in bone marrow transplant, you have to track down perfect matched registered donors and median search time is greater than four months.

Benefits of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells

To list the stem cells in lifesaving treatments, according to Medical literature and clinicaltrials.gov, it has multiple life-saving benefits that apply to:

Leukemias , Lymphomas and other Blood Cancers:
Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia
Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Juvenile Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (JCML)
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML)
Multiple Myeloma
Myeloid/Natural Killer (NK) Cell Precursor Acute Leukemia
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Prolymphocytic Leukemia
Plasma Cell Leukemia
Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

Other Cancers:
Brain Tumors
Ewing Sarcoma
Neuroblastoma
Ovarian Cancer
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Thymoma (Thymic Carcinoma)

Bone Marrow Failure Disorders:
Amegakaryocytosis
Aplastic Anemia (Severe)
Blackfan-Diamond Anemia
Congenital Cytopenia
Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia
Dyskeratosis Congenita
Fanconi Anemia
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
Pure Red Cell Aplasia

Hemoglobinopathies
Beta Thalassemia Major
Sickle Cell Disease

Histiocytic Disorders
Familial Erythrophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Hemophagocytosis
Langerhans’ Cell Histiocytosis (Histiocytosis X)

Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Disorders
Acute Myelofibrosis
Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia (Myelofibrosis)
Amyloidosis
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
Essential Thrombocythemia
Polycythemia Vera
Refractory Anemias (RA) including:
Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts (RAEB)
Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts in Transformation (RAEB-T)
Refractory Anemia with Ringed Sideroblasts (RARS)

Inherited Metabolic Disorders
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Fucosidosis
Gaucher Disease
Hunter Syndrome (MPS-II)
Hurler Syndrome (MPS-IH)
Krabbe Disease
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
Mannosidosis
Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (MPS-VI)
Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
Mucolipidosis II (I-cell Disease)
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (Batten Disease)
Niemann-Pick Disease
Sandhoff Disease
Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS-III)
Scheie Syndrome (MPS-IS)
Sly Syndrome (MPS-VII)
Tay Sachs
Wolman Disease

Inherited Immune System Disorders
Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Congenital Neutropenia
Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
Severe Combined Immunodeficiencies (SCID) including:
Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency
Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome
Chediak-Higashi Syndrome
Kostmann Syndrome
Omenn Syndrome
Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase Deficiency
Reticular Dysgenesis

Wiskott-Aldrich SyndromeX-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disorder

Other Inherited Disorders
Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia
Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria (Gunther Disease)
DiGeorge Syndrome
Osteopetrosis

Others:
Chronic Active Epstein Barr
Evans Syndrome
Multiple Sclerosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Thymic Dysplasia

How much is stem cell treatment in the Philippines?

I know many are curious. The price starts around P500,000 and it depends upon the type of treatment and sessions per therapy. Certainly you’ll need 1-3 million pesos for stem cell treatment. It is expected to be so expensive since only experts and most-advanced hospitals and clinics with state-of-the-art medical equipment and facilities can perform stem cell therapy and treatment procedures in the modern time. Geez, it is so pricey!

Many Filipino celebrities and politicians like the former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has confessed having undergone stem cell treatment and she had her fourth stem cell intravenous treatment according to this page. Other icons like former president Joseph Estrada and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile were also mentioned interested to have stem cell treatment. Famous talk show host Boy Abunda brought his mom to Germany to undergo stem cell treatment.

If you live in the Philippines and you are well off and you want to have stem cell therapy, you can also consider having it in Singapore since they are one of the most advanced in terms of medicine and clinical services worldwide.

Sources from the info:

Wikipedia

Medical Literature

clinicaltrials.gov

Fehl is the founder of Philpad and has been writing online for 12 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Accountancy and a background in Finance. She is a licensed Career Service Professional and author of a poetry book at Barnes & Noble. In her spare time, she likes to travel and discover new places.

5 thoughts on “Stem Cell Treatment Procedure in the Philippines – Review”

  1. Hello good morning, my son is a leukemia patient and had a relapse last month. I’m trying to search for the cost of stem cell transplant and unfortunately it’s too expensive for us ordinary people

    Reply
  2. hi,i’m marietta 43 y/o 5 mo pregnant and it’s my first,,, i am a stage 3c breast cancer patient,, is it possible for me to undergo stem cell treatment w/ my own baby’s umbilical blood cord? ,,here is my email it would be great and appreciated to receive a response from this site thank you and god bless,,,

    Reply
    • Hi, have you heard of Purtier? It is the latest encapsulated live cell therapy made in New Zealand. It is present in 5 countries. Manila office will be open this January 2016. If you would like to know more pls visit our team’s fb page; Live cell therapy Philippines or visit our website http://www.riway.com. You may call us at (02) 5036058 ; 09177161857. Ty. Irene

      Reply
  3. Stem Cell Treatment is now growing in the Philippines, but most Filipinos are not yet convinced with this technology, not only that the cost is also expensive only those who are fortunate enough can undergo stem cell transplant.

    Reply
  4. May I ask the writer to get in touch with me via email? I am part of a group who is intent on being able to establish a facility using this technology from the US. I would please like your input on this. Thanks!

    Reply

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