Effectiveness and safety of clinical use of stem cells and its implications for regulations

Objective To analyze the effectiveness and safety of clinical use of different types of stem cells to provide evidence for governmental supervision of key issues in clinical utilization of stem cells.

Methods Six literature databases in China and abroad were searched for relevant literature published from January 2010 to July 2020， and a systematic review was conducted.

Results The study showed 72 studies concerning the effectiveness and safety of different types of stem cells in clinical utilization. Although clinical utilization of stem cells had some therapeutic effects for certain diseases， their long-term effect and safety need to be further evaluated， especially their potential risk of tumorigenicity.

Conclusion To protect the patients’ interest， physicians should fully weigh the benefits against the risks of clinical utilization of stem cells， and relevant governmental departments should strengthen supervision of ethics of clinical research and therapies involving stem cells as well as supervision of stem cell products.