International stem cell tourism: a critical literature review and evidence-based recommendations

Abstract

Stem cell tourism is an emerging area of medical tourism activity. Frustrated by the slow translation of stem cell research into clinical practice, patients with debilitating conditions often seek therapeutic options that are not appropriately regulated. This review summarises recent developments in the field of stem cell tourism and provides clinicians with the information necessary to provide basic pretravel health advice to stem cell tourists. PubMed and Scopus databases were consulted for relevant publications, using combinations of the terms ‘stem cell’, ‘tourism’, ‘regenerative medicine’, ‘international’, ‘travel medicine’ and ‘environmental health’. The leading countries in the international stem cell tourism market are the USA, China, India, Thailand and Mexico. As the majority of clinics offering stem cell therapies are based in low- and-middle-income countries, stem cell tourists place themselves at risk of receiving an unproven treatment, coupled with the risk of travel-related illnesses. These clinics do not generally provide even basic travel health information on their websites. In addition to often being ineffective, stem cell therapies are associated with complications such as infection, rejection and tumorigenesis. Physicians, researchers, regulatory bodies, advocacy groups and medical educators are encouraged to work together to improve patient and physician education and address current legislative deficiencies.

Stem cell-based therapy for human diseases

“…In addition, MSC-based therapy is still in its early stages, as controversy and arguments are still present in the field, including (1) the name of MSCs (medicinal signaling cells vs. MSCs or mesenchymal stromal cells), 442,443 (2) the existence of "magic cells" (one cell type for the treatment of all diseases), 444,445 (3) the conflicting results from large-scale clinical trials, 135 and (4) the dangerous issues of unauthorized, unproven stem cell therapies and clinics. 446,447 Therefore, our hypothesis is proposed at this time to encourage active researchers and clinicians to either prove or disprove it so that future research can strengthen the uses of MSC-based therapies with solid mechanistic study results and clarify results for "one cell type for the treatment of all diseases". Another limitation is the knowledge coverage in the field of MSC-based regenerative medicine, as discussed in this study.…”

Effectiveness of interactive teaching intervention on medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward stem cells, their therapeutic uses, and potential research applications

“…In the current study, the most common sources of knowledge regarding SCs were lectures followed by social media. Social media has created an opportunity to disseminate information regarding unproven SC-based therapies directly to consumers to legitimize providers and their products by using solid emotional appeals such as patient testimonials ( Lyons, Salgaonkar & Flaherty, 2021 ). Other than social media, mass media, including newspapers, television, and radio, are considered a primary source of scientific communication to the public as it can significantly influence public attitudes toward controversial emerging technologies in regenerative medicine, such as the use of leftover blastocysts as a source for embryonic SCs and genome editing ( Sharpe, Di Pietro & Illes, 2016 ).…”

Tissue and Cell Donation: Recommendations From an International Consensus Forum

“…45 These include therapies with little or no scientific evidence of efficacy, such as the use of stem cells for autism, antiaging, cerebral palsy, etc. [47][48][49] The majority of developed countries have adequate regulations for cell and tissue therapies; however, governments must deploy appropriate resources to enforce these regulations to ensure public safety. 50 In addition to the objective evaluation of efficacy studies, a formal cost-effectiveness assessment should be part of the authorization process for new therapies.…”