Latest news with #lymphoma
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi biobank completes step to help UAE patients get local cell transplants for diseases
The Abu Dhabi Biobank has just completed a crucial process that brings the UAE one step closer to providing stem cell transplants using samples stored right here in the country. While it may sound technical, the goal is clear — to help people in the UAE get lifesaving treatments faster, without relying on overseas donors. Stem cell transplants are one of the most advanced treatments available for conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, and some rare immune disorders. But in order for a transplant to work, doctors need to find a close genetic match between the patient and a donor — something that's especially challenging in countries with limited donor registries. 'The most recent major milestone is the HLA typing of all the stem cell samples that we've banked,' said Paul Downey, General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Biobank, in an interview with Khaleej Times. 'That means that we can now match them between the donor and patients in need of stem cell therapy,' he explained. 'We've literally just finished the HLA typing; we hope in 2025 we will see a local transplantation.' HLA typing, short for human leukocyte antigen typing, is a process used to identify specific genetic markers on white blood cells that help the immune system distinguish between the body's own cells and foreign ones. This is especially important for stem cell and organ transplants, because a close HLA match between donor and patient greatly reduces the risk of the body rejecting the transplanted cells. Without proper matching, even a potentially life-saving transplant can fail. By completing HLA typing of its stored stem cell samples, the Abu Dhabi Biobank has made it possible to begin searching for suitable matches for patients within the country for the first time. New approach to UAE health 'One of the key things that we want to do is to address the health issues that affect the UAE and Abu Dhabi,' Downey noted. 'So, we're targeting the chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular [disease], as well as looking at healthy cohorts — understanding how people are living their lives in Abu Dhabi and what that does to their health.' What people eat, and the exercise they do, along with factors they don't choose like the air they breathe, the water they drink, and to some extent the jobs they do, all play a part, and early detection is vital. 'Biobanks are powered by numbers,' he explained. 'So, the more participants that you can combine in your dataset, the greater the power of the research resource. So, we'd look to network with other local biobanks and international biobanks.' Similar efforts are already underway in countries like the UK and Qatar, where national biobanks have helped identify new disease risk factors, develop targeted treatments, and refine health policy based on genetic and environmental data. This comes at a time when chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer continue to affect many across the country. Non-communicable diseases — many of them potentially treatable or manageable with early interventions, account for nearly 77 per cent of deaths in the UAE in 2018, according to the World Health Organisation. New state-of-the-art facility in Masdar 'This year has really been focused on establishing the Biobank; so, we've developed the scientific protocol, which is really the blueprint of what we're going to do and why, and what the likely outcomes will be in terms of research findings,' Downey said. 'We've been developing a state-of-the-art new Biobanking facility at Masdar City, which will open towards the end of the year, allow us to really spread our wings and press on with the research.' Once the centre opens, 'the team plans to really start to sprint,' he added. The Abu Dhabi Biobank is part of a broader push by the emirate to become a regional leader in medical research, genomics, and personalised healthcare, alongside efforts like the Emirati Genome Programme and the Abu Dhabi Life Sciences Hub.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Josh, 22, was living the dream, set to join his mates on the holiday of a lifetime. But then he noticed a small bump on his leg... and his life was turned upside down
When 22-year-old Josh Pardo noticed a strange lump bulging from his upper thigh in late May, he feared the worst but held onto hope. Healthy, happy, and on the brink of a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Bali with his four best mates, the young Aussie had been living his best life. From running his own lawn mowing business in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula to helping with the family's small online printing company and spending quality time with his girlfriend Tara, Josh was enjoying the freedoms of young adulthood. But within three days, his life was turned upside down by a shock diagnosis: stage three lymphoma - a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. 'I noticed a lump in my groin, in the upper thigh, almost,' Josh told FEMAIL. 'It was the size of a big grape; it was almost protruding out of my skin.' Before telling his parents, he did what many would do - he searched online for answers. He quickly realised that was a mistake. 'I thought it was pretty weird, but I was quick on the ball and booked myself in with the doctors the next day,' he said. Up until then, Josh had no symptoms, no pain, and no fatigue. With no history of cancer or serious illness in his family, he remained optimistic. However, what followed was a whirlwind of physical exams, an urgent ultrasound, and an anxious wait. 'I got my ultrasound result pictures on my phone, and I was putting it into AI trying to get it to analyse it. It gave me false hope and told me it was like a benign growth or just a swollen lymph node,' he said. Just a week later, a biopsy and PET scan confirmed Josh's worst fear - not only was it cancer, but it had already progressed to stage three, spreading as far as his diaphragm. Josh had been days away from boarding a flight to Bali with his closest friends. The trip was meant to be a celebration of freedom, mateship, and memories. But his cancer had other plans. Josh made the difficult decision to cancel his dream holiday, slow down, and focus on his health. Heartwarmingly, he wasn't just thinking about himself, he was thinking about his parents too. 'Mum and Dad sat me down. I could tell they'd been crying, and I decided to pull the pin... on Bali,' he said. Instead of Bintang beers and beach sunsets, Josh was suddenly preparing for the fight of his life against an aggressive disease. Doctors scheduled six months of intensive chemotherapy, with side effects including hair loss, nausea, and fatigue. His immune system will be severely compromised, meaning he can't live at home with his younger siblings - a 16-year-old brother and nine-year-old sister - who could unknowingly expose him to schoolyard germs. 'My mum put out a Facebook post to all of her friends to help me find a place near the hospital where I can set up on my own. It's so I don't have to be in contact with people all the time,' Josh said. Josh's treatment plan is intense, but thankfully, it has a high success rate. The challenge now is getting through it, both emotionally and financially. With his family recently relocating to Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, they won't be close-by so he'll be dealing with a lot of the next six months alone. In preparation for his first round of chemotherapy in July, Josh has had to stop working, meaning he's lost the income from his lawn mowing business. And while the family's online printing venture continues, his parents are now stretched thin trying to support Josh, run the business, and care for two school-aged children. At just 22 years old, Josh should be worrying about weekend plans, first apartments, and bucket list adventures. Instead, he's facing the terrifying unknown - a six-month battle that no young person should have to fight alone. 'It's just one of those things that you read about online you never, ever expected to happen you,' he said. 'Every morning, I wake up and for the first minute or so, life is normal. Then reality sets in.' But through it all, Josh remains remarkably grounded and optimistic. He knows the months ahead will be gruelling, but with the help of his family, friends, and community, he's determined to come out the other side. 'I'm pretty content with it, and I know there's a lot of people who don't have the community that I have,' he said. 'The survival rate for this is at my age is about 90 per cent, which is amazing.' And thing he's most looking forward to when this is all over? 'Having some beers at the footy with my mates, and getting back to travelling lots'.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Greenock man pays tribute to 'inspirational' wife after her rare cancer diagnosis
A GREENOCK husband has paid an emotional tribute to the bravery of his wife after she received a shock cancer diagnosis last year. Ross Ballantyne's wife Gaynor was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, a cancer which affects the lymphatic system, in November after the 43-year-old mum-of-two noticed a growth on her nose. She received 25 days of radiotherapy and a further five days of intensive chemotherapy at the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow – and last month was told she was in remission. Ross told the Tele that Gaynor's bravery and determination to beat the disease was 'inspirational' to see. He told the Tele: 'When we were told the news of Gaynor's cancer and first went into the Beatson we knew that it would be the best place for her. READ MORE: Greenock care home team joins in 7,000-mile walk to raise £7,000 for charity Fabulous Port Glasgow fun day raises spirits and brings in £1,300 for church Inverclyde taxi driver shares dream of using his artistic talent to help others Scottish football legends Frank McAvennie and John Brown to attend charity night Greenock church team says clothes bank is ready to help local families in need 'It was quite hard for me to get my head around what she was going through and how I could help her, but seeing what the Beatson could do made it easier to get through. 'There were so many people there with cancer relying on [the Beatson's] help. All the nurses and doctors gave as much as they could. 'I know not everybody leaves the Beatson with the best outcome, but you know that every single person is doing their best for each patient.' The pair were full of praise for the Beatson's wellbeing centre, which is run by volunteers and offers patients a range of services from spa treatments to wig fitting. Speaking of the care she received, Gaynor said: "I am incredibly thankful to all of the staff, the doctors, nurses and volunteers - they all do an incredible job. David Ellis (left) and Ross Ballantyne (right) at Whinhill golf course (Image: George Munro) "The staff make you feel so well looked after and safe." To repay the charity, Ross, a keen golfer, and his pal David Ellis set out to play 72 holes in a single day at Whinhill Golf Club – and thanks to the generosity of family members and friends, have more than doubled their fund-raising target of £1,000. To donate to the Beatson fundraiser visit Ross's GoFundMe page at Ross said: 'Getting the news [of Gaynor's remission] a few weeks ago was just brilliant. 'It was seven months of really, really hard going for her and now it is just all about getting her strength backup and recovering. OTHER NEWS: Gourock gift shop owner looks back on 21 years after second national award win 'No one took my pain seriously': Greenock woman waited years for endometriosis help Word perfect pupils from Greenock school score high at Burns competitions 'It has been such a long journey, and we can't thank the Beatson enough for their support, as well as the Ardgowan Hospice for their voluntary drivers service which also helped up out.' Speaking to the Tele halfway through their four rounds, Ross and David said the challenge had been well worth it David added: 'Playing the 72 holes has always been something I wanted to do and to be doing it for such a good cause makes it even more special. 'The club and members have been such great support. Even as we have been playing a few people have come up and donated money because they have also been affected by cancer.' The duo thanked all those who donated, as well as members of Whinhill Golf Club for their support.
Medscape
30-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
FDA Drops REMS Programs for Some CAR-Ts
Using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for blood cancer should be less burdensome following labeling updates from the FDA. Specifically, the FDA removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program requirements from two BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapies for multiple myeloma — ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti; Janssen) and idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma; BMS) — and one CD19-directed therapy for lymphoma, lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi; BMS). In a June 26 letter to Janssen explaining the move, the agency said that 'the established management guidelines and extensive experience of the medical hematology/oncology community in diagnosing and managing the risks of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic toxicities across products in the class of BCMA- and CD19-directed autologous CAR T cell immunotherapies' means that REMS programs are no long necessary to ensure safe use. The agency further streamlined the labels of the two BMS therapies by reducing requirements to stay near a health facility after treatment from 4 to 2 weeks and by dropping driving restrictions after treatment from 8 to 2 weeks. In a press statement, BMS applauded the 'class-wide label updates that will help ease known barriers to treatment and administration while maintaining patient safety.' The company also noted that recent studies have made it clear that the 'vast majority of serious adverse events' with CAR T-cell therapy occur within the first 2 weeks of infusion. 'Today's announcement reduces some of the most onerous requirements that may have previously discouraged patients, particularly those who live far from a treatment center, from seeking the potentially transformational effects of cell therapy,' said Sally Werner, RN, BSN, CEO of Cancer Support Community, in the press release. M. Alexander Otto is a physician assistant with a master's degree in medical science and a journalism degree from Newhouse. He is an award-winning medical journalist who worked for several major news outlets before joining Medscape. Alex is also an MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow. Email: aotto@
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Man suffers 'infection' that affects us all - it was actually killer cancer that cost him his NOSE
A man whose GP said his breathing issues were due to a routine infection has now lost his entire nose to the real cause, a deadly form of cancer. William Brogan, 47, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire now faces major surgery to restore his face after medics were forced to amputate his nose. The only initial symptom the former chef had was a sore nose—an ailment common to a variety of routine winter illnesses. But after almost a year of doctors trying to relieve Mr Brogan's illness with antibiotics, the real devastating cause was revealed to be the blood cancer lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system—a network of blood vessels and glands helps fight off infections— and which kills about 5,000 Britons per year. In Mr Brogan's case, the disease originated in part of the lymphatic system in his nose, but by the time it was diagnosed in January this year, it had also spread into his mouth. He claims doctors dismissed his worries about the ongoing nose pain and believes his cancer could have been caught earlier. 'I had been telling them for months and months that it was something more. You know your own body,' he said. 'The antibiotics were helping at first but when I asked for more help I had to wait for an appointment. It got worse in that time waiting. 'It took them over a year to get a biopsy and find it was cancer. 'They could have caught this nine months earlier before it travelled into my mouth. 'Now I've got a hole in my face and a triangle where they removed part of my nose.' After finally being diagnosed Mr Brogan had to undergo a marathon 20-hour operation to remove the cancer earlier this year. This sadly meant he had to have his nose as well as the upper gums of his mouth removed. While medics attempted to rebuild the gum with healthy tissue taken from under his arm, this unfortunately proved unsuccessful. This meant he needed another five-hour operation to remove the failed transplant, before another 12-hour surgery for another transplant to rebuild his upper mouth which did prove successful. He has since been undergoing radiotherapy—where powerful radiation is used in an attempt to kill cancer cells— before medics attempt to rebuild his nose. Mr Brogan said losing his nose, and the extreme change to his appearance this had brought, had taken a huge mental toll on him and he was now on medication to help. 'Diazepane, used to relieve symptoms of anxiety, is the thing that gives me the courage to go out,' he said. 'People say "there's that man with the hole in his face".' But he added he's hopeful for the future. He said specialist surgeons having looked at photos of him prior to the amputation to ensure they can make him a nose that matches his previous appearance. 'I'm hoping to have a skin graft to try and rebuild my face within the year,' he said. 'They've already taken a picture of my face, so they know what colour to make my nose. 'I can't thank the surgeons enough. They saved my life.' Family doctors most commonly prescribe antibiotics for nose pain in cases of sinusitis, an infection of the sinuses. While most sinusitis cases are triggered by viruses—for which antibiotics don't work—if infections persists for a long period, it can be a sign it's caused by a bacteria. In these circumstances a medic can prescribe antibiotics to help clear the infection. Studies suggest between one in 20 to one in six Britons get sinusitis each year, though many cases are mild and can be treated at home. As lymphoma can develop in any part of lymphatic system the symptoms patients experience can vary immensely. For example, some may develop swollen tonsils in the mouth, a lump in the tummy, or skin rashes depending exactly where the cancer is. However, the most common sign of the disease is a painless swelling in areas like the neck, armpit or groin. Other symptoms—reported by some patients—include night sweats, unexplained weight-loss, a high temperature, breathlessness and persistent itching all over the body. Approximately 13,500 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma—the more common version of the disease—are diagnosed in the UK each year, about 37 cases per day. About half (55 per cent) of patients will survive at least a decade after being diagnosed. One in 52 men and one in 71 women will develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma over the course of their life, according to charity Cancer Research UK. People in their 80s are the most likely to be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of any age group. While the rates of this cancer have increased by almost a third across all age groups since the 90s there has been a small decrease in recent years. What is lymphoma? Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes, which is the body's disease-fighting network. That network consists of the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and thymus gland. There are various types of lymphoma, but two main ones: non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin. Both have much better prognoses than many types of cancer. WHAT IS HODGKIN LYMPHOMA? Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in the white blood cells. It is named after Thomas Hodgkin, an English doctor who first identified the disease in 1832. It affects around 2,000 people each year in the UK, and 8,500 a year in the US. Hodgkin lymphoma is most common between the ages of 20 and 24, and 75 and 79. Five-year survival rates: The survival rates are much more favourable than most other cancers. Stage 1: 90% Stage 2: 90% Stage 3: 80% Stage 4: 65% Symptoms include: A painless swelling in the armpits, neck and groin Heavy night sweating Extreme weight loss Itching Shortness of breath Coughing Risk factors: Lowered immunity A family history of the condition Smokers Those who are overweight Treatment: Chemotherapy Radiotherapy Steroids Stem cell or bone marrow transplants WHAT IS NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA? Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can occur anywhere in the body but is usually first noticed in the lymph nodes around sufferers' necks. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma affects around 14,000 new people every year in the UK. In the US, more than 80,000 people are diagnosed annually. It is more common in males than females, and it is commonly diagnosed either in a patient's early 20s or after the age of 55. Five-year survival rates: Survival can vary widely with NHL. The general survival rate for five years is 70 percent, and the chance of living 10 years is approximately 60 percent. Symptoms include: Painless swellings in the neck, armpit or groin Heavy night sweating Unexplained weight loss of more than one-tenth of a person's body Itching Risk factors: Over 75 Have a weak immune system Suffer from coeliac disease Have a family history of the condition Have had other types of cancer Treatment: It depends on the number and locations of the body affected by Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Therapy typically includes chemotherapy.
