High dose chemotherapy and syngeneic stem cell transplantation in a patient with refractory rheumatoid arthritis: poor response associated with persistence of host autoantibodies and synovial abnormalities.
BACKGROUND
Immunoablative therapy combined with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a possible treatment for patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
A patient with rheumatoid factor positive, progressively erosive RA, refractive to treatment, was treated with high dose cyclophosphamide, followed by reinfusion of an unmanipulated peripheral blood graft derived from her identical twin sister. The clinical response was unsatisfactory, necessitating reinstitution of treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, which was associated with persistence of host serum autoantibodies and a cellular infiltrate in synovium, notably of plasma cells.


CONCLUSIONS
The effectiveness of syngeneic SCT may be critically dependent on the degree of immunoablation achieved or on the composition of the graft.
van Oosterhout
M
M
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
Verburg
R J
RJ
Levarht
E W N
EW
Moolenburgh
J D
JD
Barge
R M
RM
Fibbe
W E
WE
van Laar
J M
JM
D000328:Adult; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology*; D017211:Treatment Failure
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide