City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, announced the cure for blood cancer and HIV in a 68-year-old man. He became the oldest patient to overcome both blood cancer and HIV. The research was published in the journal NEJM.
Paul Edmonds, 68, from California, became the fifth person in the world to achieve cure of acute myeloid leukemia and HIV after receiving stem cells with a rare genetic mutation. This mutation makes people resistant to infection by the virus. Of these five patients, Edmonds had HIV for the longest time: more than 31 years.
The man received the transplant on February 6, 2019 and is now thought to be free of leukemia. He stopped taking antiretroviral treatment for HIV almost three years ago and will be considered HIV-free in two years.
Scientists adapted the treatment taking into account the patient’s age and duration of HIV infection. Therefore, they used low-intensity chemotherapy to reduce the chance of complications. For the treatment, they needed to find a donor who was a perfect match for the patient and had a rare genetic mutation that occurs in only 1-2% of the general population.
A 73-year-old man before deleted Part of the penis due to batteries stuck in the urethra.