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Hospital Reaches Cancer Treatment Milestone

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Sep 4, 2008 7:43 am US/Mountain

Hospital Reaches Cancer Treatment Milestone

Written by CBS4 special projects producer Libby Smith
Reporting
Kathy Walsh
DENVER (CBS4) ― Historically bone marrow transplant is a difficult procedure and yet offers leukemia patients the best chances of survival. From 1991 to now, there have been a number of advances in this treatment that are making the 1,500th procedure at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center a little easier and hopefully more successful.

Monica Avila, 21, was the recipient of that transplant. A recent college graduate, Avila has been battling leukemia with chemotherapy and radiation.

"It's 4 months of my life, completely changed my life, put on hold everything that I have plans for," Avila told CBS4.

Doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant to help Avila fight the disease.

"The chance of her being cured with chemo along is on the order of 20 percent - with the transplant it's more like 60 or 70 percent," said Dr. Michael Maris, transplant oncologist with the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center.

Finding a bone marrow match is not always easy. Many patients turn to the National Bone Marrow registry where willing donors have signed up to see if they match those in need. Avila found her perfect match in her brother, Rey.

"He gave me new life," Avila added.

Last Thursday, the transplant from brother to sister was the 1,500th performed at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center.

Gone are the days of only taking marrow directly from a sibling's bone. Rey Avila, 17, donated through a machine that harvested healthy stem cells by separating the blood components. The stem cells are then transfused into Monica making her strong again.

"So far so good," she tells CBS4.

There have also been advances in medications to prevent infections and deal with complications. In the last decade, bone marrow transplant has gotten easier and more effective. Monica Avila intends to be apart of that success.

"I've always felt really positive about it and I'm going to get through it one day at a time." 

Additional Resources

For more information about Phase 1 Clinical Trials at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, please call: (720) 848-0376 or (720)-848-0714.

Questions About Cancer

You can get cancer questions answered through cbs4denver.com's Ask Dr. Dave section. Throughout the next month, Dr. Dave Hnida will be offering information about cancer research and treatment going on in Colorado.

Stand Up To Cancer

CBS4 is proud to be part of the Stand Up To Cancer initiative, raising money and awareness for ground-breaking cancer research. On Sept. 5 at 7 p.m., CBS, along with ABC and NBC, will simultaneously televise a 1 hour special highlighting the tremendous advances made in fighting cancer. Viewers will also have the opportunity to make donations to support cancer research. For more information about this national effort, log on to www.standup2cancer.org.

In the hour after the Stand Up To Cancer broadcast, CBS4 will sponsor a live Web video chat featuring cancer doctors from Colorado. Viewers will be able to ask questions and follow a discussion about the breakthrough research that's going on in Colorado and how it is benefiting cancer patients locally.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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