Table 1.
Reported cases in scientific literature which received unproven stem cell interventions
| Gender | Age at diagnosis or death | Country of residence | Country where intervention took place | Condition | Alleged type of cellular intervention | Site of injections | Complications | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 13 years | Israel | Russia (a clinic in Moscow) | Ataxia telangiectasia | Fetal neural stem cells (SCs) | Direct injection into the cerebellum and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) | Neoplastic | Glioneural neoplasms in the brain and the cauda equina originated from the donor neural cells | 46 |
| Female | 46 years | Thailand | Thailand (private clinic) | Lupus nephrites | Hematopoietic SCs | Percutaneous injection into the renal regions on both sides (blindly) | Neoplastic | Multiple angiomyeloproliferative renal lesions | 47 |
| Female | 17 years | United states | Costa Rica | Multiple sclerosis | Allogeneic cord blood mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and autologous adipose derived stromal cells | Intrathecal injection and intravenous infusion | Neurological | Severe demyelinating encephalomyelitis | 48 |
| Male | 66 years | United States | For profit clinics in China, Argentina, Mexico | Ischemic stroke | MSCs, embryonic, and fetal neural SCs | Intrathecal injections | Neoplastic | Glioproliferative lesions in the thoracic spinal cord and thecal sac, originating from exogenous cells | 49 |
| Female | 63 years | United States | United States | Face lift | Fatty aspirate from the abdominal wall in a procedure called “stem cell face lift” | Facial injection | Infectious | Necrotizing metachronous facial ulcerations | 50 |
| Female | 18 years | United States | Portugal | T10–11 fracture dislocation and associated spinal cord injury |
Olfactory mucosal cells | Intraspinal transplantation | Neoplastic | Intramedullary spinal mass consisting of olfactory epithelium and large amounts of mucous | 51 |
| Female | 72 years | United States | United States (For‐profit clinic Bioheart Inc., known now as U.S. Stem Cell Inc.) | Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) | Autologous adipose derived stromal cells | Intravitreal injections | Loss of vision | Vitreous hemorrhage and possible retinal detachment in both eyes. One year after the injection, retinal atrophy and complete loss of vision in both eyes | 52 |
| Female | 78 years | United States | United States (For‐profit clinic Bioheart Inc., known now as U.S. Stem Cell Inc.) | AMD | Autologous adipose derived stromal cells | Intravitreal injections | Loss of vision | Vitreous hemorrhages, diffuse intraretinal and preretinal hemorrhages and retinal detachment in the left eye. One year after injection, perception of hand movement in the right eye and 20/200 vision in the left eye | 52 |
| Female | 88 years | United States | United States (For‐profit clinic Bioheart Inc., known now as U.S. Stem Cell Inc.) | AMD | Autologous adipose derived stromal cells | Intravitreal injections | Loss of vision | Retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy in the right eye and geographic atrophy with a superotemporal cryopexy scar in the left eye. One year after the injection, visual acuity was perception of hand movement in the right eye and light perception in the left eye | 52 |
| NA | 19 years | NA (Western country) | China | Spinal cord injury | Olfactory ensheathing fetal cells (OECs) | Spinal injection | Infectious | Meningitis, CSF pleocytosis | 53 |
| NA | 22 years | NA (Western country) | China | Spinal cord injury | OECs | Spinal injection | Infectious, gastrointestinal | Meningitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, pneumonia. | 53 |
| NA | 22 years | NA (Western Country) | China | Spinal cord injury | OECs | Spinal injection | Infectious | Meningitis, Stevens‐Johnson syndrome | 53 |
| NA | 35 years | NA (Western country) | China | Spinal cord injury | OECs | Spinal injection | Febrile illness | Fever, headache | 53 |
| NA | 47 years | NA (Western country) | China | Spinal cord injury | OECs | Spinal injection | Febrile illness | Fever | 53 |
| Female | 27 years | Egypt | Egypt | Acute transverse myelitis | MSCs | Intrathecal injection | Autoimmune reaction | Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis | 54 |
| Male | 41 years | NA | NA | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | Autologous “precursor” cells | Myocardial injection | Cardiovascular | Ventricular fibrillation | 55 |
| Male | 41 years | NA | NA | Cervical herniated intervertebral disc | Adipose derived MSCs | Intravenous infusion | Cardiovascular | Pulmonary embolism | 56 |
| NA | NA | UK | Netherlands | NA | Stem cells (not specified) | NA | Autoimmune reaction (allergic) | NA | 57 |
| Female | 71 years | NA | Japan | Chronic kidney failure | Adipose derived MSCs | Intravenous infusion | Neurological | NA | 58 |