Travel Med Infect Dis. 2014 Nov-Dec;12(6 Pt B):695-701. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2014.09.008.
Stem cell therapies are advertised through online resources which describe a range of treatments with diverse clinical indications. Stem cell tourists may not be aware of the information they should seek when consulting these clinics, or of the potential risks involved. The aim of this study was to characterise the therapies offered by online stem cell clinics.
A web based search utilising five search terms was employed. The first twenty pages of each search result were screened against 340 variables.
224 out of 1091 websites advertised stem cell clinics. 68 eligible sites covering 21 countries were evaluated. The top five clinical indications for stem cell therapy were multiple sclerosis, anti-ageing, Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal cord injury. Adult, autologous stem cells were the most commonly utilised stem cell, and these were frequently sourced from bone marrow and adipose tissue and administered intravenously. Thirty-four per cent of sites mentioned the number of patients treated while one quarter of clinics provided outcome data. Twenty-nine per cent of clinics had an internationally recognised accreditation. Fifteen per cent of clinics stated that their therapies posed no risk. Eighty-eight per cent of clinics claimed treatment effectiveness, with 16% describing their curative potential. Over 40% of sites did not specify the number or duration of treatments. Fifty-three per cent of clinics requested access to patients' medical records, and 12% recommended patients discuss the proposed therapy with their doctor. No clinic recommended that travellers consult a travel medicine specialist or receive vaccinations prior to their intended travel. One quarter of sites discussed contraindications to treatment, with 41% of sites detailing follow up patient care.
There is potential for stem cell tourists to receive misleading or deficient information from online stem cell clinics. Both the stem cell tourist and travel medicine practitioner should be educated on the potential risks associated with stem cell clinical services advertised online.
干细胞疗法通过在线资源进行宣传，这些资源描述了一系列具有不同临床适应症的治疗方法。干细胞旅行者在咨询这些诊所时，可能不知道他们应该寻求哪些信息，也不知道可能涉及的潜在风险。本研究的目的是描述在线干细胞诊所提供的疗法。
利用五个搜索词进行了基于网络的搜索。每个搜索结果的前二十页都根据 340 个变量进行了筛选。
在 1091 个网站中，有 224 个网站宣传干细胞诊所。评估了涵盖 21 个国家的 68 个符合条件的网站。干细胞治疗的前五个临床适应症是多发性硬化症、抗衰老、帕金森病、中风和脊髓损伤。成人、自体干细胞是最常用的干细胞，这些干细胞通常来源于骨髓和脂肪组织，并静脉内给药。34%的网站提到了接受治疗的患者数量，而四分之一的诊所提供了结果数据。29%的诊所拥有国际认可的认证。15%的诊所表示其治疗方法没有风险。88%的诊所声称治疗有效，其中 16%描述了其治疗的潜在效果。超过 40%的网站未具体说明治疗次数和持续时间。53%的诊所要求访问患者的医疗记录，12%的诊所建议患者与医生讨论拟议的治疗方法。没有诊所建议旅行者在旅行前咨询旅行医学专家或接种疫苗。四分之一的网站讨论了治疗的禁忌症，其中 41%的网站详细说明了后续的患者护理。
干细胞旅行者可能会从在线干细胞诊所获得误导性或不充分的信息。干细胞旅行者和旅行医学从业者都应该接受有关在线宣传的干细胞临床服务相关潜在风险的教育。
