Zambian nurse diagnosed with blood cancer treated at Hyderabad hospital

A 27-year-old nurse from Zambia who was diagnosed with an aggressive blood cancer has recovered after undergoing a stem cell transplant and surviving a series of life threatening complications at KIMS Hospital, Hyderabad.

Mumba Margaret was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a fast-progressing blood and bone marrow cancer, in September 2023 and was advised to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Seeking specialised care, she travelled to Hyderabad and was admitted at the hospital.

Before the transplant could be performed, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. During treatment, the leukaemia relapsed, necessitating another round of chemotherapy. She also developed multiple infections and remained hospitalised for nearly 40 days, said a release.

Narendra Kumar Thota, Head of the Department of Hemato-Oncology and Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant said that on June 19, Ms. Margaret underwent her first stem cell transplant. In the post transplant period, she developed extremely rare complications, including severe dyselectrolytemia, a condition in which critical blood electrolytes rise to dangerous levels, posing risks such as seizures, kidney failure and cardiac instability.

“At one stage, her condition deteriorated sharply, and she experienced more than seven cardiac arrests. Each episode required emergency resuscitation, with teams from critical care, cardiology and stem cell transplantation working in close coordination to revive her,” he added.