Two-year-old Nathan DeAndrea who underwent two stem cell transplants to treat neuroblastoma is free of cancer, according to his mother.

Testing last week that included a CT scan and a full-body scan showed no evidence of cancer, Shannon DeAndrea said during an interview at her home Monday morning.

No more cancer! said Nathans sister, 4-year-old Kailynn.

However, the DeAndreas are awaiting the results of a bone marrow biopsy performed on Nathan last week, Shannon said. Everyone is optimistic.

The doctor said he has never seen a bone marrow biopsy come back positive when everything else is clear, she said.

Results are expected this week, Shannon said.

Nathan was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma on Aug. 23, 2016. He had a tumor in his abdomen that spread to his bone marrow. He had spots on his skull, ribs and spine. He has had several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and two stem cell transplants.

Neuroblastomas are cancers that begin in early nerve cells of the sympathetic nervous system, according to the American Cancer Society.

The scans results brought relief to Shannon and her family.

Its like I could breathe, she said.

As Kailynn put it, We said, hooray!

The next phase of treatment will include strengthening Nathans immune system. He will be in the hospital one week a month for six months, Shannon said.

Its to keep it [the cancer] from coming back, she said.

His immune system is still compromised. The genetic makeup of Nathans tumor put him at a higher risk of relapse, Shannon said.

Nathans first transplant included four or five days of chemo. The new stem cells following the chemo that killed off his old stem cells from the transplant were like a rescue, she said.

Its wiping you out and then giving you your cells back to restart your immune system, DeAndrea said.

A second round of heavy chemo was to try to kill what was left of the cancer and replenish cells, she said.

Nathans stem cell transplants were from his own cells, Shannon said.

Two types of stem cell transplants include autologous, which uses stem cells from the patients own body, and allogeneic using stem cells from another person.

The procedure is used for conditions including multiple myeloma, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and leukemia, and other blood and immune disorders.

Stem cell transplants began in the late 50s/early 60s with the first successful procedure done in an identical twin. However, stem cell transplants were limited until medicines that prevent rejections became available.

The number of procedures increased in the 1980s.

Betsie Letterle, community engagement representative with BeTheMatch in Burlington, North Carolina, said there are more than 14 million bone marrow/stem cell donors in the BeTheMatch registry.

Bone marrow transplants traditionally involved taking the marrow from the back of the donors hip. But since then, weve progressed tremendously, Letterle said.

The newest way is to take stem cells from a vein in the donors arm, Letterle said. The donor receives an injection of medication to help their body manufacture a large amount of stem cells, she said.

Those are taken from the vein, similar to a plasma donation. Letterle said.

Anyone aged 18-44 can join the registry, but commitment is paramount among donors, she said.

Commitment is important because patients depend on us, Letterle said. We dont want anyone whos not really sure they could donate if called.

Only about one in 540 registered donors end up donating, she said. Everyone is an active donor until they turn 61, Letterle said.

Younger donors are healthier and make the most stem cells, she said.

We want to give the patient the optimum opportunity to get the best stem cells they can, she said.

If a donor comes up as a match, they will be asked for about 20-30 hours of their time over several weeks, Letterle said.

We work around the donors schedule, she said.

They get blood work done, and a physical to make sure theyre healthy enough to donate, Letterle said.

The donor never pays for anything, she said.

The doctor determines whether the procedure would be a stem cell or a traditional bone marrow transplant. That depends on the patients or recipients age and condition, Letterle said.

About 80 percent of registered donors are Caucasian, and BeTheMatch is looking for more minority donors, Letterle said. Many minority patients have trouble finding a match, she said.

The recipients blood type becomes whatever blood type the donor has, Letterle said.

Dr. William Clark with the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University will speak about bone marrow and stem cell transplants from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 11 at Ballou Recreation Center. A bone marrow/stem cell donor drive will also be held that day.

For more information on stem cell/bone marrow transplants, call Betsie Letterle at BeTheMatch at (877) 601-1926, ext. 7721.

JohnCrane reports for the Danville Register & Bee. Contact him atjcrane@registerbee.comor(434) 791-7987.

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