chemotherapy used to cure juvinille diabetes

i heard somthing about chemotherapy being used for diabetes.
where can i learn more about this. my son was just diagnosed march 2007.

[Forum-vol-wak]

I am a volunteered the mom of a type one diabetic.  I have not read or hear of anything like this.  I am sorry i could not be of more help

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

I have been diabetic for 37 years, have read everything I can get my hands on about new studies, and have been to many different endocrinologists since I move often as part of a military family. Chemotherapy has never come up in any way related to diabetes. I believe that you have been misled.

[smbrlm]

There was a study in Brazil, where the patients were treated somewhat like someone with Luekemia, but it wasn't chemotheropy.  The immune system was lowered and stem cell were transplanted and the new immune system doesn't kill the new cell.  Not sure all about it, but there were 15 in the study and 14 have been cured for 3 years.  It's a faily drastic and dangerous procedure though.

[Stormygirlchaos]

My daughter was diagnoised with Diabetes while she was going through Chemotherapy for Leukemia when she was 3. The chemo caused the diabetes and I was told that once the chemo was over that the diabetes would go away; well they were wrong! I told the doctors that my father had type 1 diabetes from the time he was 6 years old and that with such a strong family history that I knew the diabetes would never go away; after the chemo it went it a "honeymoon" period and the doctors all acted so smug thinking that they have proved their point that the chemo caused the diabetes. Well two months later she was back in the hospital with type 1 diabetes. So please don't think that chemotherapy is a cure, it can cause it! I know that my daughter has this disese (disease) because my father had it and that if she would have never gotten Leukemia that she would more than likely have gotten Diabetes later down the road, maybe at 8 to 10 years of age. My dauther is now 17 and she doesn't let Diabetes rule her life, she is on the pump, is finishing her Junior year in high school and holds a part time job. She also plays every sport she can, plays the flute and piccolo, loves to play DDR and is workign on becoming a CSI. I am proud of her and will do what ever it takes to make sure that she live an above normal life!

PS - here is a little tip for all the parents of children under 18 with type 1 diabetes - call Make a Wish! They have changed the way they are looking at illnesses and now if a child has a "life threating disese (disease)"  instead of a "termial illness" they will consider granting a wish, our daughter had hers granted when she was 7; not becuase of the Leukemia - she was denied for this but becuase of the Diabetes - we went to Disney World and after all the shots, pokes and prods she deserved this and so much more so CALL :) Ans God Bless you ALL!

[EmiB]

I heard research that had been published and was revieled on the CBS nightly news along these lines. Researchers had found 2 chemotherapy drugs that caused a reversal of the autoimmune proscess that causes type 1 diabetes. The research is still not in human trials, but the drugs are FDA approved, so this may help speed things along! Do your research people!!!!

[EmiB]

I'm sorry folks that story was on the NBC nightly news, and you can check it out online at www.msnbc.com search the site for "diabetes" it will be one of the first stories.

[Seandc]

I have looked into this myself and read many articles on it.  The FDA refuses to approve of it in america because of the riskiness of the procedure and it's lack of long term effectivness.  Of those 15 it was tested on and the 14 that remain cured, the 1 that did not remain cured was due to him gaining a rather nasty viral infection.  The same kind of infection that is experienced by diabetics right before they are diagnosed.  What the procedure does is rather like hitting the reset button for your immune system and lets your beta cells recover.  But should you get the flu like virus that triggers type 1 diabetes in people with the genes for it you will become diabetic again, and would have to undergo the procedure again to get rid of the diabetes again.

[DPRJR]

I know this has been a long while, but yes, chemo was used to CURE type 1. The governments then blocked allowing it. It was a trial done in Canada a number of years back, about 30 type 1's in their mid 20's and 30's were put in a controlled sterile environment during this. They used chemo to kill their bone marrow/immune system. Then were given bone marrow transplants from healthy donors. After their immune system built back up it was done. To this day none of them are diabetic. You can thank the billions drug companies make on test strips, insulin, etc for no cure ever going to be used. This entire trial has been hushed up rather well, and I know one of the participants in Canada that was on the older side of the bunch and still has no signs or effects of type 1. So when you donate for 'research' keep in mind you are donating to companies that want money, their is no money if you get cured.