Building a hematopoietic stem cell transplant team in Tohoku, Japan: challenges and achievements

Abstract

 There are 11 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) centers certified by the Japanese Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy in the Tohoku region of Japan, including Fukushima Medical University Hospital (FMU). Approximately 25 adult and 10 pediatric patients undergo HSCT in FMU annually; the Department of Hematology takes care of adult and pediatric patients from the Fukushima Prefecture, whereas the Department of Pediatric Oncology treats pediatric patients with extremely high-risk hematologic malignancies indicated for HLA-haploidentical HSCT from all over Japan. At the time of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, four patients were preparing for HSCT. Thanks to the generous support from the Japan Marrow Donors Program and other HSCT centers, all four patients successfully received their transplants. This experience has enhanced our ability as a team to provide care for our patients. Currently, 18 hematopoietic cell transplant coordinators (HCTCs) are actively engaged in transplant coordination and patient support in this region. Due to its small size, the HCTC community in the Tohoku region is a tight knit one forming one unified HSCT team across several institutions. Building trust and collaboration among all HCTCs is vital to ensuring the effectiveness of the HSCT team as a whole.