Abstract

MILLAS-MUR, Jaime. Peruvian doctor’s opinion on the application of stem cell therapies. Acta méd. Peru [online]. 2017, vol.34, n.2, pp.82-89. ISSN 1728-5917.

Objective: To know the opinion of a group of Peruvian physicians about the positive and negative characteristics of stem cell therapies performed in clinics in Peru and other Latin American countries. The population is circumscribed to attending physicians working in different hospitals, whatever their specialty is. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. A survey was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of Peruvian physicians. The questionnaire was built based on the recommendations of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) set in its Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells. Results: According to our findings, the opinion of a group of Peruvian doctors is that in Peru and Latin America, stem cell therapy is offered for a large number of diseases, with a significant frequency (30.9%) for neurodegenerative diseases. In the section of the questionnaire with respect to preclinical studies, it is important to point out the percentage in which the risk of producing tumors (38%) is seldom or never eliminated. Regarding the clinical research section, it is noteworthy that in 42% the risks or clear potential benefits of these therapies have barely or never been identified. Conclusions: The interviewed physicians believe that stem cell therapies are offered for treating a wide variety of diseases, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, which are currently non-curable, and for which possible options of therapy are at the level of clinical trials, so it would not be ethical to offer stem cell therapies for such conditions

Keywords : Stem cells; Cell- and tissue-based therapy; Translational medical research.

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