International stem cell tourism: a critical literature review and evidence-based recommendations

Stem cell tourism is an emerging area of medical tourism activity. Frustrated by the slow translation of stem cell research into clinical practice, patients with debilitating conditions often seek therapeutic options that are not appropriately regulated. This review summarises recent developments in the field of stem cell tourism and provides clinicians with the information necessary to provide basic pretravel health advice to stem cell tourists. PubMed and Scopus databases were consulted for relevant publications, using combinations of the terms ‘stem cell’, ‘tourism’, ‘regenerative medicine’, ‘international’, ‘travel medicine’ and ‘environmental health’. The leading countries in the international stem cell tourism market are the USA, China, India, Thailand and Mexico. As the majority of clinics offering stem cell therapies are based in low- and-middle-income countries, stem cell tourists place themselves at risk of receiving an unproven treatment, coupled with the risk of travel-related illnesses. These clinics do not generally provide even basic travel health information on their websites. In addition to often being ineffective, stem cell therapies are associated with complications such as infection, rejection and tumorigenesis. Physicians, researchers, regulatory bodies, advocacy groups and medical educators are encouraged to work together to improve patient and physician education and address current legislative deficiencies.