Transplant saves health and attitude
After two rounds of chemotherapy, his acute myelocytic leukemia in remission, George Panas came to Dana-Farber upon learning he might be eligible for a clinical trial of a non-myeloablative, or "mini," stem cell transplant.
George Panas and his sister Angela.
"Dr. [Richard] Stone explained that I had essentially three options," the Pawtucket, R.I., restaurant owner recalls. "Doing nothing, which meant the disease would probably return; having a bone marrow transplant; or getting a stem cell replacement." Panas chose the third alternative.
During a four-day hospital stay in December 2000, he was treated with mild doses of chemotherapy and then received an infusion of his sister's stem cells.
Since then, Panas reports, he has "felt great," with the exception of two anxious episodes. In one, he had a severe reaction to a drug used to prevent rejection of the new cells. In the other, he developed acute respiratory distress, although the problem may have been unrelated to his transplant.
Fully recuperated, he says his health is better than it's been in years, and he's even taken up golf. Three times a year, he returns to Dana-Farber to see his oncologist, Edwin Alyea, MD, and have a blood test or bone marrow biopsy.
The experience has altered Panas' outlook and reversed what he admits was a cynical attitude toward doctors and caregivers. "Dana-Farber gets my vote for doing a great job," he remarks. "Everyone there — and I mean the support staff and nurses, as well as the doctors — makes you feel like they really care. I'll be forever grateful."
