The Stem Cell “Sell”

Abstract

In recent years, a growing number of clinics in Australia and overseas have begun to offer therapies that claim to restore health by using stem cells to replace or repair the patient's faulty or missing cells. For those who have been told that conventional medicine has nothing more to offer, a visit to a stem cell clinic may appear to be worth the time, effort and expense that this entails. What’s on Offer? Stem cell tourism is a phrase used to encompass travel – usually overseas – for a wide range of therapies involving stem cells. These therapies may involve the use of the patient’s own (autologous) stem cells from fat or their bone marrow, or donated stem cells from cord blood, embryos and foetal tissue. Therapy might be administered by having the patient inhale the cells, or by injecting the cells under the skin, into a vein or joint, directly into the fluid around the spinal cord or into the patient’s brain. Such therapies have been touted as effective treatments for many conditions and illnesses including arthritis, spinal cord injury, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative conditions and autism. Often the same treatment is offered for conditions with vastly different underlying pathology. Unlike other forms of medical tourism – such as travel for IVF, cosmetic surgery, joint replacement or dentistry, which are based on access to well-established conventional therapies that are available more quickly and at a more affordable price than in the patient’s home country – stem cell tourism provides patients with access to “treatments” that are yet to be proven. These treatments are not based upon rigorous scientific evidence, have not been clearly demonstrated to offer any benefit, and are not recognised or reimbursed by local health systems. The reality, sadly, is very different. Most people are unlikely to benefit, losing precious time, money, hope and trust in the course of pursuing this new form of medical tourism.