Stem-cell therapy could have benefits and risks for heart-attack patients (pp 746, 751, 783)
Two studies in this week's issue of THE LANCET raise questions about the feasibility and safety of stem-cell therapy for heart disease, suggesting that such treatments could have both benefits and drawbacks. Adult haemopoietic stem cells give rise to blood cells, and are thought to be able to generate other types of cell. Recent studies have investigated the potential of stem cells to reverse heart damage caused by diseases such as acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). Use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilise stem cells has shown promise, but its safety has not been tested in patients with myocardial infarction. Hyun-Jae Kang, Huo-Soo Kim, and colleagues from S