St James's Hospital celebrates 40 years since Ireland's first bone marrow transplant – News & Events

Posted on June 10, 2024

(Photographed at the event was Professor Paul Brown, Haematologist, St James's HospitalDr Catherine Flynn, Professor Mary Day and Reverend Stephen Donnelly)

Today St James's Hospital marks 40 years since the first bone marrow transplant took place in Ireland in 1984. This procedure marked the start of pioneering care at the hospital which now performs stem cell transplants for around 200 patients from across the island of Ireland each year.

Professor Sean McCann, Honorary Professor of Haematology at Trinity College Dublin and Head of Transplantation at St James's Hospital, performed the first transplant operation with his specialist team in 1984. Since then the National Adult Stem Cell Transplant Service has expanded to establish Ireland's first centre for adult CAR-T cell therapy. Such cell therapies are often life-saving treatments for blood-related cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, but also in rare cases of bone marrow failure. The service is now the third largest in the UK and Ireland, with patients referred to St James's Hospital from all over the country, including from Northern Ireland.

At an event held at the hospital today to celebrate this milestone, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly MP Said:

“Today, I am delighted to join St James's Hospital and Trinity St James Cancer Institute in commemorating and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Ireland's first bone marrow transplant. Over the past 40 years, St James's Hospital's transplant expertise has gone from strength to strength and the team has been dedicated to developing transplant services for patients diagnosed with blood-related cancers in Ireland. I congratulate the hospital on this achievement and wish them continued success for the next 40 years.”

The number of cases of blood cancer continues to increase in Ireland and around the world as the population grows and ages. Stem cell transplants (sometimes called bone marrow transplants) are used to treat and cure many types of blood related cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as rare bone marrow failure conditions and solid organ tumours. The aim of the transplant is to either cure the blood cancer or keep the blood disease in remission for as long as possible.

In an allogeneic stem cell transplant, healthy stem cells are transplanted from one individual to another, while an autologous transplant uses the patient's own stem cells. The first bone marrow transplant performed at St James's Hospital was an allogeneic transplant, where donor stem cells were taken from a sibling to treat a patient with leukaemia.

Mairsil Houlihan Rooney (pictured below, centre, with Kevin Rooney and fellow transplant recipient Mark Fagan) underwent a bone marrow transplant at St James's Hospital in 1989 and was also at today's celebrations. She said:

“When I was diagnosed with CML nearly 40 years ago, it marked the beginning of an anxious and frightening period in my life. After being diagnosed at St Vincent's Hospital, I was cared for by the excellent haematologists in my support team at St James's Hospital who ultimately saved my life. The service was in its infancy when I received my bone marrow transplant but I always felt lucky to be looked after by the best team in the best place, and I am delighted to be here to celebrate what they continue to achieve.”

The work of the Stem Cell Transplant Service is supported by many departments and organisations both within and outside of St James's Hospital/Trinity St James Cancer Institute. In particular liaison with clinical teams within the hospital, including the Intensive Care Unit, and close collaboration with the Irish Unrelated Donor Registry and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, is essential to find a suitable donor for patients who do not have a suitable family donor, and to minimise complications for patients.

Since its establishment, the transplant unit has been supported by the charity Leukaemia and Marrow Foundation, which has provided equipment, funded staff and developed accommodation for patients following stem cell transplants.

Top row, left to right: Professor Anne-Marie Brady; Professor of Nursing and Chronic Diseases (School of Nursing and Midwifery)Professor John Kennedy, Co-Director Trinity St. James Cancer Institute, Catherine Mullarkey (Chairperson of St James's Hospital Trustees), Minister Stephen Donnelly, Dr Catherine Flynn and Professor Mary Day (CEO of St James's Hospital)

Dr. Catherine Flynn, Haematologist and Clinical Associate Professor at Trinity St James Cancer InstituteSaid:

“This anniversary marks a great achievement for all staff past and present at St James's Hospital. Since 1984 we have provided stem cell and bone marrow transplants to over 3,750 patients, improving survival rates and giving new hope to people with blood cancer. Caring for a growing number of transplant survivors is an honour but also a huge challenge. Our service could not operate without the dedicated nursing staff and colleagues across the hospital. We work very closely with organisations such as the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and are extremely grateful to our many stem cell donors around the world. We hope that through ample support and resources our service will continue to grow.”

In recognition of this milestone in cancer care in Ireland, Professor Mary Day, Chief Executive of St James's Hospital Said:

“St James's has a long history of stem cell and bone marrow transplantation and this landmark anniversary would not be possible without the clinical expertise we have built and developed. The groundbreaking research of expert clinicians such as Professor McCann has cemented our position as a global leader in cancer care and enabled us to establish Ireland's first OECI accredited cancer institute, Trinity St James Cancer Institute.”

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