A man was cured of HIV and cancer after a stem cell transplant (7 photos)

Paul Edmonds was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. And 30 years later, due to a weak immune system, he fell ill with acute myeloid leukemia. The man did not even hope that he could be healed.





However, after a stem cell transplant at the City of Hope Cancer Treatment and Research Center in California, Paul has been in remission for five years.

In another two years, he can be considered “cured” of HIV.



The medical team published the patient's treatment protocol in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Paul, 67, became the fifth and oldest person to go into long-term remission.

The American admitted: “The main reason I want to share my story is to give hope to people with HIV. And I want to remember all those we have lost.”



Paul lived on antiretroviral therapy for 31 years before undergoing his groundbreaking transplant.



In 2018, he began treatment for leukemia. Ahmed M. Aribi, an oncologist at City of Hope Clinic, said a stem cell transplant will be required. Doctors were looking for a donor with a rare genetic mutation resistant to HIV, in the hope of curing the patient of this disease.

This mutation is called homozygous CCR5 delta 32 and makes people resistant to most strains of HIV infection.



Paul initially underwent three grueling courses of chemotherapy before he could begin treatment.

Doctors looked through millions of donors in the Be The Match bone marrow registry and identified two potential candidates. One of them agreed to help Edmonds.

When he was informed that a donor had been found, Paul said: “I felt like I had won the lottery.”

Only 1-2% of the world's population have this mutation.



On February 26, 2019, the patient underwent a stem cell transplant.

“The transplant was easy,” the man says, especially compared to other procedures.

"I am very grateful to the wonderful person who donated the stem cells. He saved my life."

Doctors continued to monitor the patient, and soon his antiretroviral therapy was discontinued.

He has been off medication for almost three years, but there is no trace of HIV or leukemia left.



“The patient does not have HIV detected within 35 months after stopping antiretroviral therapy,” the doctors comment.

Dr Jana Dikter said: "Many years ago, when I was a researcher, the idea of a cure for HIV seemed almost impossible to me. We have come such a long way. We now have many effective and well-tolerated treatments for people with immunodeficiency."

Stem cell transplantation carries significant risks, so this method is not suitable for all people living with HIV.