Windsor Regional Hospital's new stem cell transplant program to treat 30 patients a year
Windsor Regional Hospital is launching a new service for cancer patients that was previously unavailable locally.
It's called the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) program. The initial roll out will start with autologous stem cell transplants specifically for patients with multiple myeloma.
The first patient collection is scheduled for July 8, 2025. The hospital has a goal of completing 30 patients per year.
Autologous, or auto stem cell transplants, are when a patient's own stem cells are collected and then reinfused back into their body following intensive chemotherapy or radiation.
Stem cell program
Windsor Regional Hospital is launching the Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) program in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
Hospital officials say this is a major step forward in offering comprehensive transplant services in Windsor-Essex. Before this, patients had to travel significant distances to access specialized centres outside the region, resulting in logistical challenges, increased stress for patients and families and potential disruptions to continuity of care.
'Stem cell transplantation is a complex and intensive process for both the patient receiving treatment and the health care team providing the care. We have been providing high-level autologous and allogeneic transplant care here for many years, but this is another major step forward in providing comprehensive care close to home,' says Windsor Regional Cancer Centre Chief of Oncology Dr. Sindu Kanjeekal.
Kanjeekal says now that they have developed the framework, equipment and expertise to do full autologous stem cell transplantation in Windsor, it provides the opportunity to build and deliver other complex cellular therapies and immunotherapies in the community.
'Windsor Regional Hospital is proud to expand its clinical footprint with this new program that will benefit patients now and into the future,' said Karen Riddell, WRH acting president and CEO and Chief Nursing Executive. 'Thank you to Ontario Health, the provincial government and the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation for supporting us with funding to make this innovative program a reality.'
Houida Kassem, executive director of the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation says the new program is a significant milestone for the community, bringing lifesaving care closer to home and allowing families to stay together during treatment.
'This achievement reflects the compassion and generosity that define our region. It would not have been possible without the generous support of our community,' said Houida Kassem, Executive Director, Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation.
WRH has recognized the need to expand its services to include stem cell transplant services, a vital component in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Ontario doctors warn of increase in DIY medicine
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is sounding the alarm on what it says is a concerning increase in the number of patients turning to do-it-yourself medical solutions rather than getting expert advice from doctors. 'We know people are going online,' Dr. David D'Souza said. 'The aspect of looking is not necessarily a problem; it's the interpretation of it.' D'Souza, a radiation oncologist in London, Ont., said patients are often drawn to ideas that seem 'all natural' or that seem to offer 'miraculous' results or options with no unpleasant side effects. He cited a study which found that about a third of the most popular social media posts about cancer from 2018-2019 contained factually incorrect information. 'You might say, well, what's the big deal? What's the problem with it? Well, most of them are potentially harmful,' he said. D'Souza was one of several doctors who took part in a news conference hosted by the OMA Wednesday, calling attention to the rising trend of do-it-yourself medical solutions. Doctors on the panel said they are increasingly encountering self-diagnoses based on internet research or having to answer questions from patients about viral videos suggesting that fast food can cure migraines or that CBD oil can shrink tumours. Some are even trying to treat themselves. 'I had a patient who had a tube going into their kidney because it was blocked – it's called a nephrostomy tube – due to their cancer. And they actually tried to put the twine from a weed whacker in to get out the sludge that was in there,' D'Souza recalled. 'They were asking about actually putting in a little bit of Lysol to clear it out.' While he managed to dissuade them, other patients have chosen to go with alternate treatments based on their own research, sometimes with devastating effects. One young woman, D'Souza recalled, came to him with a diagnosis of cervical cancer. 'She was not ready to accept conventional treatment and decided she was going to pursue other remedies that she had heard about,' D'Souza said. 'She came back two years later, unfortunately, with her disease having progressed and spread, and in a lot of pain, and unfortunately, our ability to control her cancer and give her a long-term good outcome was severely compromised.' Patients making diagnoses with online quizzes Dr. Valerie Primeau, a psychiatrist from North Bay, Ont., said she's seeing more and more people using quick online tools to diagnose themselves with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and other problems. 'The first concern, obviously, is misdiagnosis,' Primeau said. 'And there's certain disorders that are higher risk of misdiagnosis, specifically bipolar disorder.' She noted that if you think you have an illness, that could increase anxiety about having an illness, which could itself have negative health impacts. Best practices around treatment can also change dramatically in just the space of a couple of years, she said, information that medical experts are more likely to be appraised of than online resources. 'So that can be dangerous, as well as being given unfiltered advice about how to manage the illness, which is not likely to be evidence-based,' Primeau said. She estimated around a third of the patients she sees come to her with self-diagnoses and estimates that proportion will increase. 'It's happening more right now, and I foresee it continuing to happen more and more, especially with AI technology getting more and more available and more and more sophisticated,' Primeau said. 'I have patients now that talk to ChatGPT to get advice.' Social media a source of medical misinformation Dr. Alyse Goldberg, a Toronto endocrinologist who focuses on fertility and treating hormonal conditions, said existing technologies, particularly social media, are already driving people to health information that may not be reliable. She showed examples of posts, presented to her by social media accounts she doesn't even follow, which described 'invisible signs of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)' and 'tips' about other disorders she regularly discusses. 'You get targeted in terms of what therapeutic options your physician may be giving you, but then reasons to avoid some evidence-based treatment,' Goldberg said. While some of the solutions presented by the posts might sound amazing, they may not be tested or evidence-based. Nevertheless, seeing the posts could 'fracture the relationship with the physician,' Goldberg said, especially if the patient feels that good options have been 'withheld.' Some of the posts might also push users toward products that aren't effective or appropriate and Goldberg said it's important to think about 'who's trying to make money off of us and use our symptoms of medical experiences in order to self promote.' OMA President Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman said the organization is particularly concerned about the rise in diagnosis and self-treatment among young people, who tend to lean heavily on information from the Internet. 'When you break it down by generations, we're also seeing a higher uptake, especially in some of our very young populations, who are still in their teens and early 20s, who are looking more at social media and in terms of how they quantify how reliable or credible a source is versus other generations,' Abdurrahman said. She also pointed out that combatting misinformation is a wider problem society is grappling with right now. 'We want to come and address and talk about this, and talk about how to get credible information, because we know misinformation and disinformation is something that, as a society we are managing, and health-care is not immune to this.' While there are many pitfalls and problems with self-diagnosis and treatment, doctors point out that it can be beneficial to do some research from legitimate sources if it leads you to consult a physician who can more accurately diagnose a problem. The doctors also stress that it's important for medical professionals to be communicative with their patients rather than judgmental, recognizing that sometimes a prescribed course of treatment can leave patients feeling like they don't have control. 'Rather than coming back with a judgmental tone, I embrace the fact that they are communicating,' D'Souza said. They also acknowledge that access to family doctors, and financial barriers to certain kinds of medical tests and assessments could also be driving people into the arms of Dr. Google, where quick answers are easy to come by. 'Our phones now are intelligent. They listen to us and they look at our trends,' Primeau points out. 'And if we talk about something that we're concerned about, they will show us posts that relate to that. So the answers seem more immediate, and people want that. People are looking for answers, and they get that validation from that access on social media.'
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Ont. man believes he has Lyme disease, Canadian doctors don't, so he's going to Mexico for treatment
An Ontario man is preparing for a trip to Mexico to receive treatment he can't get at home. CTV's Spencer Turcotte reports. A man from southwestern Ontario is seeking answers after getting differing diagnoses from doctors. Jason Hibbs used to be a volunteer firefighter in Drumbo, within Oxford County. In an interview with CTV News, he reminisced about saving lives. These days, though, he is looking to get his own life back. Hibbs first experienced symptoms six-and-a-half years ago. 'I started getting sick the one day. Just got a real high fever, lost control of my arms and my legs, and went into the hospital,' the 42-year-old explained. He underwent several tests. 'They just thought it was ALS,' Hibbs said. From there, he went to see a specialist. 'It's just been non-stop MRIs, CT scans, EMG, spinal taps and everything just keeps coming back negative,' recalled Hibbs. Since that time, his condition has only worsened. 'I basically can't walk. I can't move my arms. I can pick them up a little bit and touch my face like that,' he said, lifting his arms slightly. 'My legs start shaking, I can't eat on my own, my parents have to feed me, toileting, all that stuff.' Co-workers and friends have also stepped up to help Hibbs. 'Several of us in the fire department, we take him to medical appointments,' said Patrick Ali, the fire captain in Drumbo, Ont. His daughter also does what she can. 'I can help him put drinks in his hand and give him sips of his drink if he wants it,' Lylah Ali said. While Hibbs has had a lot of help, he wants his independence back, so he began looking for more answers. Eventually, he connected with a doctor in Toronto who sent his bloodwork to doctors in Germany. 'It came back positive for Lyme disease, plus four variants that ticks can carry,' Hibbs said. hyperbaric chamber Jason Hibbs Ontario Lyme disease Jason Hibbs in a hyperbaric chamber. (Provided) He then began exploring treatment options for Lyme disease, which included antibiotics and going into a hyperbaric chamber. But he said the doctor in Toronto got into trouble because those treatments went beyond Canada's standard of care for Lyme disease. 'I actually started regaining some control in my legs again,' Hibbs explained. 'Then once he got told to stop, his license was on the line for some stuff so we had to kind of back off.' Dr. Elliot Jacobson, a medical doctor who treats chronic illnesses and is not involved in Hibbs' case, acknowledged that Canada lags behind other countries in terms of Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. 'It's one of those areas of medicine where we have an incomplete sort of scientific evidence, and we rarely have 100 per cent evidence,' said Jacobson, who is also the medical director at Venn Med. Complicating matters further, he said symptoms of Lyme disease can mimic other medical conditions. 'There's certainly a lot of controversy about how accurate the testing for Lyme disease is based on the history of how those tests were made,' Jacobson explained. So, after years of hoping to get the help he needs in Canada, Hibbs decided he's not waiting for more tests. This weekend he will fly to Mexico to undergo a multi-week treatment plan, which is not permitted in Canada. 'The cost of treatment just for myself is $38,000 USD,' Hibbs said. 'There's going to be stem cells, blood transfusions, hyperthermia treatments and then the treatments where they induce a fever and stick me in this tube and heat it up.' Hibbs said he wanted to share his story to raise awareness about the disease and treatment options in Canada. 'If it could happen to me, it can happen to anyone.'
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
U of M research finds wildfire ash contributing to phosphate levels in Lake Winnipeg
Dave Konefall sits on the beach with his wife Korey Williams and their two dogs Quinn and Bruce outside their Lake Winnipeg home in Dunnottar on Tuesday July 9, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Dave Konefall and Korey Williams live on Lake Winnipeg. The permanent residents of Dunnottar walk their dogs on the beach every day. They want future generations to be able to enjoy it as well. 'It makes me concerned for the tipping point for this lake,' Konefall said. 'It's a massive giant lake. It might be a different story for the next generation. A worse story.' News of a new threat to the health of the lake is not welcome. 'If now the wildfires could be considered a detriment as well, it's really sad,' Williams said. 'This lake needs some more friends and fewer enemies.' Dunnottar beach and dogs Konefall and Williams walk their two dogs on the beach every day outside their Dunnottar home. Here they are on Tuesday July 9, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) New research from the University of Manitoba finds the phosphorus fallout from climate change may be impacting Lake Winnipeg. 'We estimated that we should have different sources of phosphorus, including dust from agricultural land or pollen from trees around the lake and another component would be wildfire,' said Dr. Masoud Goharrhoki, a research associate from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba. Goharrhoki has been working with the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium for the past year. The Namao ship brings teams out on the lake three times a year. This spring they studied the impact of wildfire ash on the lake as a busy wildfire season unfolded. Early findings indicate particulates from the ash contribute to phosphate levels, which increase algal blooms. 'We haven't collected that before, and as far as I know, that aspect of (wildfire ash) as a source (of phosphorus) was not fully understood even in other water bodies, specifically in large water bodies,' Goharrhoki said. U of M Ash Samples At the University of Manitoba, the filter sample on the left was collected during wildfire smoke present over Lake Winnipeg near Gimli this spring. The sample filter on the right was collected before wildfires began. Here are the two samples shown on Tuesday July 9, 2025. (Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg) Williams said she and her husband won't swim in the lake anymore. She worries about her dogs swimming there too. 'Especially with the dogs, you can't really train them not to drink the water,' Williams said. 'That's really unfortunate, seeing as we see this as a lake playground.'
