Written by Laura Glitsos Friday, 11 December 2009 13:07
AS a teenager, Lane Martino was handed a “death sentence” after developing acute graft-versus-host disease, but in an amazing twist, a team of doctors saved his life with cell therapy techniques developed here in Perth.
At 16 years old, Lane was a fit and healthy teenager living in Cottesloe with his family.
“I was surfing and boxing all the time, then all of a sudden I just had no energy, I could hardly walk up the stairs,” he says.
“I assumed it was chronic fatigue so I went to the doctor to have a blood test.”
Lane’s mother, Deborah Parry, says they were sent to Princess Margaret Hospital to see a specialist but were still unsure of what diagnosis to expect.
“I kept trying to tell myself that it was a bleeding liver or something that could be fixed.
“Instead it was acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,”
The Battle with Leukaemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or ALL, is characterised by malignant white blood cells in the bone marrow and is the most common form of childhood cancer, often fatal.
Deborah says after the diagnosis, Lane was calm and just asked what needed to be done.
Lane also says he cursed but after the initial shock “was fine”.
“I was never depressed once,” he says.
Lane underwent chemotherapy for more than 3 years and still managed to keep up with schoolwork and focus on the future.
While taking oral chemotherapy, Lane still surfed and even travelled.
In 2006, when Lane finished his chemotherapy treatment, he moved out of home and concentrated on studying business at university.
The Relapse
However, six months later he relapsed with systemic and meningeal leukaemia.
Lane’s doctor and medical director of Cell and Tissue Therapies WA (CTTWA) Professor Richard Herrmann says this type of relapse is “usually a death sentence…it’s horrible”.
Fighting Complications
Lane was to receive a bone marrow transplant but prior to the transplant he contracted a fungal lung infection, leading to respiratory failure and allergic reactions to medications.
Because of these complications, Lane was admitted to intensive care and placed on life support.
“He wasn’t expected to live…but they didn’t know Lane - he’s a fighter,” Deborah says.
With the unrelenting support of his family, Lane literally fought for his life for an entire month and was eventually stable enough to receive a bone marrow transplant.
The Onset of Graft-Versus-Host Disease
However, after the bone marrow transplant, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) took hold.
GVHD occurs when the host cells reject the donor cells, due to a complex immune interaction between donor T lymphocytes and recipient epithelial tissues.
The disease is usually treated with corticosteroid therapy to suppress the immune system.
However, the survival rate for patients who do not respond to the treatment is only 20 percent.
Fortunately, Prof Herrman had been working on breakthrough therapy with phase one trials to evaluate the safety of what are known as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), often taken from bone marrow.
Lane was infused with the MSCs and immediately responded to the therapy.
CTTWA principal scientist Dr Marian Sturm says the research had to be pushed forward because Lane needed the treatment immediately, so while the research helped Lane get better, in turn, he helped the research evolve.
The Cure
As a result of the therapy and the work of the CTTWA team, Lane is alive and still positive that his future is bright.
While still suffering ill effects from GVHD and Shapiro Syndrome (where the body cannot regulate its temperature), his mother says Lane is an inspiration to all around him.
Deborah also says Prof Herrmann told both her and Lane that to get through the illness they would need “a very black sense of humour”.
“It was the best advice and we love him,” Deborah says.
“It’s one of the reasons we’ve pulled through as a family, we’ve had amazing support from the medical team.”
