This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi everyone:
I was diagnosed with PPMS and was looking into clinical trials of stem cells to repair the nerve damage in my legs. I was told that because I was treated with cytoxan for breast cancer I can not have this treatment or be involved in any clinical trials. Does anyone know why this is and why the cytoxan treatment makes such a difference? Being told this is so discouraging.

Pixie

Hi peonypixie and welcome to TiMS,

The chemotherapy drug, cytoxan, had an affect on your immune system, and because the cost of trials is so high, researchers must be very selective in which patients are admitted. Patients who had previous immune-modulating treatments, such as chemo, could skew the results of this study and make the results of stem cell therapy look better than they actually are in reality. There are usually always inclusion/exclusion criteria for every study. Hope this helps.