Lot more hope for the future’ — Windsor hospital launches stem cell cancer treatment program
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Published Jul 07, 2025
A new stem cell transplant program is expected to keep Windsor-area cancer patients closer to home and give hope to those who’ve endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
The autologous stem cell transplant program at Windsor Regional Hospital’s cancer centre will see patients’ own stem cells collected and then reinfused back into their bodies following intensive chemotherapy. Patients previously had to make multiple trips to London for the treatment.
The first apheresis, or stem cell collection, will be conducted on Tuesday.
For patients with hematological malignancies — cancers that affect blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic tissues — there are more treatments available now than there were earlier this decade, said hematologist Dr. Sahar Khan.
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“We’re at a stage where we’re able to offer hope to people that we would not have been able to a couple of years ago,” she told reporters on Monday.
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“These therapies are better because cure rates are higher, the toxicity of chemotherapy is less, and they also provide a platform for research going into the future.
