Media Release
Singapore, 7 April 2025 – At just 2.5 months old, Joshua was diagnosed with thalassemia major in Malaysia, requiring monthly blood transfusions to stay alive. His parents made the difficult decision to give up their coffeeshop business and relocate to Singapore for his treatment at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where he underwent the world's first peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor in 1995. Thankfully, Joshua overcame his condition and is now living a healthy, married life.
Ms Fam was expecting her first child when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer. The diagnosis forced her to begin immediate chemotherapy while still pregnant. After delivering her baby prematurely, Ms Fam deliberately distanced herself from her newborn, fearing that bonding would only make it harder for separation if she didn't survive. Four potential donors later, a Thai donor finally agreed to help, offering Ms Fam a chance at survival.
Joshua and Ms Fam are amongst the many patients who have benefited under SGH’s Haematopoietic Cell Therapy and Transplant Programme (HCTTP) which turned 40 this year with the Hospital’s Department of Haematology.
Think of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as a way to give patients a new lease of life by replacing their diseased bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells. These life-saving cells can come from three sources: bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood.
Before 1985, a diagnosis of blood cancer or severe blood disorders often meant a devastating prognosis for patients in Singapore. Treatment options were limited to conventional chemotherapy and regular blood transfusions, with many patients facing poor survival rates. For those who needed more advanced treatment, the only option was to seek expensive medical care overseas - a choice that wasn't available to many families. Things changed with the establishment of the Programme in 1985.
What started as a pioneering programme has grown into a centre of excellence that has given hope to thousands. Over four decades, the programme has performed more than 2,200 transplants, each representing a life transformed. The programme has achieved several firsts, including the world's first non-myeloablative cord blood transplants for a patient with multiple myeloma and another with acute myeloid leukaemia in 2001.
The latest chapter in this success story is the introduction of CAR-T cell therapy in 2020, offering new possibilities for patients who previously had no other options. This innovative treatment reprogrammes a patient's own immune cells to fight cancer, representing the next frontier in blood cancer treatment.
From helping children with thalassemia live normal lives to giving blood cancer patients a second chance, SGH's HCTTP has been quietly saving lives for four decades. Each milestone reached is not just a medical achievement - it's a testament to human perseverance, scientific innovation, and the unwavering commitment of healthcare professionals who have made it their life's mission to offer hope where there once was none.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Debbie Tan (Ms)
Communications Department
Singapore General Hospital
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