Stem Cells and COPD – Risks and Benefits

A patient from England was treated with stem cells for COPD at the XCell Center in Germany in June 2010. The patient had been diagnosed with COPD a year earlier following a bout of pneumonia and was treated with the stem cell therapy which involved the transplant of stem cells (taken from his own bone marrow) into his pulmonary arteries. The minimally invasive angiography technique employed techniques used in other heart surgeries where a catheter is inserted into the femoral vein and guided up into the heart and then the pulmonary arteries using x-ray imaging. The procedure, which took around ninety minutes, was performed at XCell by Dr. Christian Beythien, the Head Cardiologist at the center prior to its closure in 2011.

COPD Recovery with Stem Cell Therapy

The patient treated at the XCell Center in 2010 was reported to be doing well following the stem cell therapy for COPD which has allowed him to stop using inhalers, begin going on short walks, and to become more independent. There have also been noticeable improvements in diagnostic tests run to assess the patient’s breathing since the stem cell treatment although such an isolated case which remains anecdotal is not sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of using stem cells for COPD.

Cost of Stem Cell Therapy for COPD

The reported cost of the angiography treatment at the XCell Center for stem cell therapy for COPD was 13500 Euros. Although the clinic is now closed it is thought that other international stem cell clinics offer patients with COPD stem cell treatment using intravenous stem cell transplants. There remains no clear clinical evidence of the efficacy of stem cell therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease making it difficult for patients who are rapidly exhausting other treatment options.

Risks of Stem Cells for COPD

The monetary cost of stem cell therapy is just one consideration however as any type of experimental treatment, particularly at an overseas stem cell clinic, is likely to disqualify patients from participation in clinical trials closer to home. The progress of genuine medicine is, therefore, at risk of being slowed down by the unregulated application of stem cell treatments and such therapy also puts patients at risk of developing complications upon their return home. Many insurance companies will not cover such complications arising from a procedure that is unapproved for use in the patient’s country of residence and emergency assistance may also be difficult to access where experimental therapy goes awry. The future of stem cell research into COPD treatments and stem cell treatment for other lung and respiratory diseases is beginning to look promising however with recent research suggesting that the lungs’ regenerative capacity may be more than previously thought.