Hematology
Israel Hematology is constantly developing. Scientists and clinicians are constantly searching for new effective and safe methods of diagnosis and blood diseases treatment. Medical centers are constantly conducting clinical research using innovative and experimental drugs, treatment methods, etc.
Patients of the Maimonides Multidisciplinary Medical Center can participate in these studies absolutely free of charge. As a rule, patients who have not been helped by standard therapy regimens are selected for experimental treatment. This gives them a new chance for a long and healthy future life and, as a rule, this chance is successful.
Blood is a unique substance in a human body. It unites individual organs and systems into a single whole and makes our body to function correctly and efficiently. Blood brings oxygen to every single cell in the body and removes waste products. Blood is a separate type of tissue in our body, which consists of a liquid part (plasma) and formed elements (blood cells - erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets). As long as this system functions harmoniously, we are safe, but as soon as even one of its components suffers, we have to face serious, and sometimes incompatible with life, diseases.
All the practice of our medical center are built on the basis of charitable contributions from various companies and caring people under the patronage of the of “Keren Or for our Child” the Charitable Foundation. We can fully or partially cover the necessary costs for diagnosis, treatment, purchase of necessary medicines and medical equipment.
What does pediatric hematology do?
Broadly speaking, this is a branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of blood system diseases.
As a rule, there are several directions in practical hematology:
- onco-hematology - unites oncology and hematology and deals with the study of blood system malignant diseases and hematopoietic organs;
- general hematology deals with such problems as anemia (there are more than 300 types of anemia), hemorrhagic diatheses and coagulopathy (diseases manifested by an increased tendency to bleed), etc.;
- theoretical hematology is a science dealing with the study of blood groups and the basics of transfusiology (blood transfusion), various molecular genetic studies of blood, etc.
Our doctors successfully help children with the following hematological diseases:
- childhood leukemia;
- lymphomas (from T- and B-lymphocytes) in children;
- Hodgkin's lymphoma;
- non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in children;
- Fanconi anemia;
- congenital dyskeratosis;
- Schwachman-Diamond syndrome;
- Diamond-Blackpfan anemia;
- Congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (CAMT);
- severe chronic neutropenia;
- thrombocytopenia;
- aplastic anemia;
- paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria;
- beta-thalassemia;
- sickle cell anemia;
- hemoglobinopathy;
- coagulopathy
How can you suspect a hematological disease in a child?
As known, early and correct diagnosis is already 50% of success in treatment of any disease. This is especially relevant for the field of pediatric hematology and onco-hematology.
Unfortunately, there are no pathognomonic signs (those that are 100% specific for this problem) of these diseases. But the following symptoms will help to suspect something wrong with the child's health:
- lack of appetite and unmotivated weight loss;
- constant weakness and apathy, reduced ability to concentrate attention and memory;
- unhealthy pallor of the skin or its yellowness;
- the appearance of bruises or hematomas on the body for no apparent reason, prolonged bleeding from small wounds, frequent nosebleeds, blood in the urine, in the feces;
- persistent enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes, not related to an infectious disease;
- frequent headache.
If you have noticed some of the symptoms described above in your child – welcome to the Medical Center Maimonides. The doctors of our clinic will carry out a quick and high-quality diagnosis of the child's health and eliminate your doubts and fears.
And if necessary, they will provide professional assistance based on the practice of the best Israeli pediatric hematology centers.
Diagnosis of children's hematological diseases at Maimonides Multidisciplinary Medical Center
All medical staff of the pediatric hematology department uses only modern diagnostic methods based on molecular biology and immunofluorescence. It allows to set the most accurate diagnosis and, for example, successful bone marrow transplantation.
Every hematology department is equipped with a good material and technical base. Examinations of small patients are carried out with the help of the most modern equipment. In particular, in the clinic of onco-hematology, are widely used not only the most modern CT and MRI devices, but also innovative PET-CT.
All researches are carried out in subsidiary institutions of the Maimonides Clinic under the leadership of Israeli colleagues, where the samples of each patient and, if necessary, the child himself are sent.
If the patient needs a biopsy during the diagnostic process, the samples of biological material are sent to the pathology laboratories of the affiliated medical center or to Maimonides' Israeli, or to American and German partner clinics. Thanks to such "molecular checks", we are absolutely sure of the correctness of the diagnosis and the adequacy of the subsequent treatment scheme.
Peculiarities of children's hematology treatment in Maimonides Multidisciplinary Medical Center
Our hematology departments and onco-hematology , are used a comprehensive approach for blood diseases treatment. It combines both traditional and modern methods.
Traditional methods of treatment, for example, of anemia, include apply of iron preparations, folic acid, vitamins of group B with high bioavailability in order to accelerate recovery as much as possible.
Also, our specialists have such treatment experience as innovative drugs application that contribute to the rapid formation of hemoglobin, young erythrocytes or blood platelets, find and destroy tumor cells in hematological oncological diseases.
For instance, such treatment with new drugs application is targeted therapy.
Modern drugs for chemotherapy (the main method of treatment in pediatric onco-hematology) are successfully used in treatment schemes by our doctors to overcome the disease with minimal side effects.
Only from well-known European, Israeli and American manufacturers are used for the treatment of children at the Maimonides Clinic.
The clinic's specialists also have considerable experience in immunological (biological) therapy application. These drugs teach our immune system to recognize foreign cells and destroy them. Also, they can program the bone marrow and other organs, where blood cells are formed, to increase the production of young and healthy formed elements, which has a favorable effect on the general condition of the patient and promotes rapid recovery.
he main method of treatment of many onco-hematological diseases - bone marrow transplantation . It is implemented on the highest international standards.
The Israeli mentor doctors who oversee each similar case have an access to American and European databases containing information of potential donors. And in case when a family donor is not suitable for transplantation, this service is actively used to select the perfect donor-recipient pair. This significantly increases the chances of a successful procedure and subsequent full recovery of our young patients.
Types of bone marrow transplantation:
- Autologous bone marrow transplantation – transplantation of the patient's own cells, which were previously selected. This procedure is used for certain diseases that do not have a genetic factor at their core. For example, before a course of chemotherapy, stem cells from the patient's bone marrow are collected, and after the course of chemotherapy is completed. Then they are injected back into the body, thanks to which the normal production of blood cells are restored.
- Allogeneic transplantation . This type of transplantation involves the introduction of stem cells taken from a donor into the patient. This is the best method in the treatment of blood system malignant tumors. Especially those caused by genetics.
- Syngeneic transplantation . A type of transplantation that involves the transfer of hematopoietic stem cells within a pair of twins.
CART therapy is a method of malignant diseases blood system treatment, particularly acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This is the most common onco-hematological disease among children. The essence of the technique is to extract T-lymphocytes from the patient's body with further modification of these cells (a kind of training). Then they return to the bloodstream to find and attack tumor cells. This is an innovative method of treatment that all our patients have access to.
As already mentioned, Maimonides Clinic patients have access to experimental treatment programs using drugs and methods that are undergoing clinical research. For the participants of such programs, all treatment is free of charge. This is a real chance for a further healthy life for those children in whom standard treatment regimens have proven ineffective.
Radial therapy is also actively used in protocols of onco-hematological diseases treatment. All remote radiation therapy sessions take place on modern and safe linear accelerators.If such treatment is necessary, the patient is referred to affiliated clinics of the Maimonides Medical Center, which has all the necessary equipment and trained staff.
After receiving a course of treatment, the patient and his parents can receive all the necessary psychological support, as well as the entire complex of rehabilitation measures. This approach significantly improves the prognosis and reduces the likelihood of long-term side effects from therapy.
Doctors of the Hematology department
