Cancer Covered

A History of Stem Cell Transplantation

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Dr. Fred Appelbaum, Executive Vice President of Fred Hutch Cancer Center, joins Green Bay Oncology physicians Dr. Brian Burnette, Dr. Kamal Abbi, and Dr. Evan Wenig, along with Dr. Brian Merkel, Professor and Chair of Human Biology at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, to reflect on the bold and uncertain early days of stem cell transplantation and how that work reshaped the treatment of leukemia. From experimental procedures in the 1970s to today’s highly refined transplant and cellular therapies, this conversation traces how risk, collaboration, and perseverance laid the foundation for modern cancer care.

“Whoever saves a life, saves the world. And when you sit with a patient, you have to remember that you could just as easily be on the other side of the table.” ~ Dr. Fred Appelbaum

On this episode of Cancer Covered, you will learn:

  • How stem cell transplantation began: What leukemia treatment looked like in the early 1980s, why early transplant attempts were considered radical, and how researchers pushed forward despite skepticism and failure.
  • From last resort to standard of care: How advances in supportive care, donor matching, and clinical trials transformed transplantation from an experimental gamble into a life-saving option for many patients.
  • The human ripple effect of innovation: How Dr. Brian Merkel’s own experience as a teenage transplant patient led him to a career in science and teaching, and how survivorship continues to shape future generations of physicians and researchers.
  • Collaboration that changed medicine: Why breakthroughs in transplantation required not just oncologists, but infectious disease specialists, researchers, patients, and families working together over decades.
  • Ethics, empathy, and trust: How physicians navigate risk, hope, and informed consent when treatments are complex, demanding, and deeply personal.

    • We’ve Got Cancer…Covered.

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