This month the ASCC released its Patient Information Handbook to assist patients to critically analyse stem cell treatments before considering taking part in them.
With the internet being as accessible and unregulated as it is, here at the ASCC we often receive calls and e-mails from people trying to sort out which stem cell treatments offered are based on facts, and which are fiction.
Stem cells are still considered a relatively new form of science, and with the range of claims being made every day about new cures, it’s not surprising people are confused.
Stem cell tourism, as this new phenomenon is called, is also a hot topic in the media at the moment. There is an increasing amount of success stories about people trying unproven stem cell therapies with seemingly good results, and also a lot of stories about the other unfortunate side of the coin - when more harm has been done than good.
Dr Kirsten Herbert, from the Department of Haematology and Medical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Clinical Advisor and Scientific Advisory Board Member for the Australian Stem Centre, recently discussed this topic on the ABC. You can listen to it online here.
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/newsradio/audio/20091211-stemmp3
To download our Patient Information Handbook,
click here.