From Pub Med:
Neurol Sci. 2011 Dec 8. [Epub ahead of print]
Long-term efficacy of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis at a single institution in China.
Chen B, Zhou M, Ouyang J, Zhou R, Xu J, Zhang Q, Yang Y, Xu Y, Shao X, Meng L, Wang J, Xu Y, Ni X, Zhang X.
Source
Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a promising treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have not adequately responded to conventional therapies. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and long-term clinical outcome of AHSCT in MS patients in China. Twenty-five patients with various types of MS were treated with AHSCT. Peripheral blood stem cells were derived by leukapheresis after mobilized with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Then CD34+ cell selection of the graft was performed and anti-thymocyte globulin was given for T-cell depletion, with the conditioning regimen BEAM adopted and early and late toxicities recorded. Long-term responses were evaluated by the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), progression-free survival and gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scans. 10, 7 and 8 patients experienced neurological improvement, stabilization and progression, respectively. The median EDSS scores observed over 1-year follow-up after transplantation (5.5-7.0) were consistently lower than the baseline (8.0). The progression-free survival rate was 74, 65 and 48% at 3, 6 and 9 years post-transplant. 58% cases (7/12) had active lesions at baseline and all turned to inactive status in the years of follow-up. 25% cases (3/12) experienced progression after transplantation but had no active lesions in MRI over the whole follow-up period. 17% cases (2/12) without active lesions at baseline progressed active lesions in MRI. The major early toxicity resulted in fever and late toxicity caused transplantation-related mortality due to severe pneumonia and varicella-zoster virus hepatitis, respectively. AHSCT is a feasible treatment for severe MS and its long-term efficacy is favorable.
PMID: 22160751 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22160751
Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2011;2011:280-4.
Successes and failures of stem cell transplantation in autoimmune diseases.
Tyndall A.
Source
1University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, more than 1500 patients have received HSCT, mostly autologous, as treatment for a severe autoimmune disease (AD). More than 1000 of these have been registered in the European Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) combined database. A recent retrospective analysis of 900 patients showed that the majority had multiple sclerosis (MS; n = 345) followed by systemic sclerosis (SSc; n = 175), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; n = 85), rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 89), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; n = 65), and idiopathic cytopenic purpura (ITP; n = 37). An overall 85% 5-year survival and 43% progression-free survival was seen, with 100-day transplantation-related mortality (TRM) ranging between 1% (RA) and 11% (SLE and JIA). Approximately 30% of patients in all disease subgroups had a complete response, often durable despite full immune reconstitution. In many patients, such as in those with SSc, morphological improvement such as reduction of skin collagen and normalization of microvasculature was documented beyond any predicted known effects of intense immunosuppression alone. The high TRM was in part related to conditioning intensity, comorbidity, and age, but until the results of the 3 prospective randomized trials are known, an evidence-based modification of the conditioning regimen will not be possible.(1) In recent years, multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been tested in various AD, exploiting their immune-modulating properties and apparent low acute toxicity. Despite encouraging small phase 1/2 studies, no positive data from randomized, prospective studies are as yet available in the peer-reviewed literature.
PMID: 22160046 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22160046
You would think if the immune system has been comprehensively reset that results would be better in the mid to long term.
3 years antibiotics, 06/09 bilateral jug stents at C1, 05/11 ballooning of both jug valves, 07/12 stenting of renal vein, azygos & jug valve ballooning,