Bone Marrow-derived Cells' Contribution to Tumor Formation and Epithelial Cells Regeneration in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Recent experimental studies showed that circulating bone marrow-derived stem cells contribute to the formation of cancers cells. However, it is not clear whether this is applicable to human beings or not. In addition, bone marrow-derived cells are considered to play a significant role in regeneration of inflamed epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract during graft versus host disease (GVHD), which sometimes occurs after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). On the other hand, it is well known that the incidence of solid tumors is significantly increased following bone marrow transplantation.

One purpose of this study is to determine the role of bone marrow-derived cells in the tumor formation and acute or chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in human beings, and the other is to discover early cancers of the gastrointestinal tract in the subjects received BMT by conducting surveillance for detecting second tumor, periodically.

All subjects are the patients received allogeneic BMT in Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital for hematopoietic disorders.

For determining the role of bone marrow-derived cells in the solid tumors and inflammation like GVHD, suitable candidates are females who received allogeneic BMT from male donors, because the most reliable marker of bone marrow-derived cells is identification of the Y chromosomes from the male donor in the tissue of female.

For the early detection of gastrointestinal cancers, the subjects are confined to patients without recurrence of original disorder at least 1 year after BMT. They are scheduled to undergo a medical inspection using gastrointestinal endoscopy, periodically.