Do stem-cell transplants increase cancer risk? Long-lived recipients offer clues
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03450-x
A long-term study on blood-forming stem-cell transplants has found that recipients do not face an increased risk of cancer-causing mutations. This finding offers hope for those undergoing stem-cell treatments for blood cancers and related diseases, showing that mutation rates in recipients mirror those of their donors. Despite rare cases where transplants lead to tumors, the research suggests that transplanted cells age similarly to natural cells, maintaining stable mutation rates over time. This discovery has positive implications for stem-cell and gene therapy, especially for younger patients relying on these cells for a lifetime.
