What to ask before any cell therapy offer

Anyone living with fibrosis or COPD has every right to hope for something new. The trouble starts when that hope can be bought. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has written some points for patients in exactly this position.

Which treatments are proven?

Only a few cell treatments are established, such as blood stem cell transplants. A treatment offered without official approval or outside a registered trial is not in this group.

“They are my own cells” is not enough

Removing, growing and returning cells can introduce contamination and change how they behave. No medical procedure is free of risk.

One treatment for everything?

If a centre offers the same injection for the lungs, the knee and a nerve disease, or says the cells “know where to go”, be careful. A treatment has to fit the science of that disease.

Patient praise is not evidence

Feeling better after a treatment can come from belief, lifestyle changes, other treatments or the natural ups and downs of a disease. That is why research uses comparison groups.

Experimental for sale is not a trial

A real trial has preclinical studies, ethics oversight, official registration and a comparison group, and does not charge participants for the treatment. According to the FDA, being charged outside a trial is a warning sign. A listing in a trial register does not by itself show that a product is legal.

What you could lose

Cost is not the only risk. An unapproved treatment may cause new problems, close the way to later trials and take you away from proven care.

Three simple steps

1. Talk to your own lung doctor before any decision.
2. Get a written consent form and read it with your family.
3. Keep up your current treatment until the final decision.

We have summarised the science on the cell therapy page.