Clinical outcomes after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a continuously disabling disease and it is unresponsive to high dose steroid and immunomodulation with disease progression. The autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been introduced in the treatment of refractory forms of multiple sclerosis. In this study, the clinical outcomes followed by ASCT were evaluated for patients with progressive MS.


METHODS
Twenty-two patients with secondary progressive MS were treated with ASCT. Peripheral blood stem cells were obtained by leukapheresis after mobilization with granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Etoposide, melphalan, carmustin and cytosine arabinoside were administered as conditioning regimen. Outcomes were evaluated by the expanded disability status scale and progression free survival. No maintenance treatment was administered during a median follow-up of 39 months (range, 6 to 59 months).


RESULTS
No death occurred following the treatment. The overall confirmed progression free survival rate was 77% up to 59 months after transplantation which was significantly higher compared with pre-transplantation (P = 0.000). Thirteen patients (59%) had remarkable improvement in neurological manifestations, four (18%) stabilized their disability status and five (23%) showed clinical recurrence of active symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
ASCT as a therapy is safe and available. It can improve or stabilize neurological manifestations in most patients with progressive MS following failure of conventional therapy.
Xu
Juan
J
Department of Haematology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China. xujuandail@x263.net
Ji
Bing-xin
BX
Su
Li
L
Dong
Hui-qing
HQ
Sun
Xue-jing
XJ
Liu
Cong-yan
CY
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007937:Leukapheresis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous