title: Safety of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for cartilage repair in 41 patients with 45 joints followed for up to 11 years and 5 months.
abstract: Among autologous somatic stem cells, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are the most widely used worldwide to repair not only mesenchymal tissues (bone, cartilage) but also many other kinds of tissues, including heart, skin, and liver. Autologous BMSCs are thought to be safe because of the absence of immunological reaction and disease transmission. However, it is possible that they will form tumours during long-term follow-up. In 1988, we transplanted autologous BMSCs to repair articular cartilage, which was the first such trial ever reported. Subsequently we performed this procedure in about 40 patients. Demonstration that neither partial infections nor tumours appeared in these patients provided strong evidence for the safety of autologous BMSC transplantation. Thus, in this study we checked these patients for tumour development and infections. Between January 1998 and November 2008, 41 patients received 45 transplantations. We checked their records until their last visit. We telephoned or mailed the patients who had not visited the clinics recently to establish whether there were any abnormalities in the operated joints. Neither tumours nor infections were observed between 5 and 137 (mean 75) months of follow-up. Autologous BMSC transplantation is a safe procedure and will be widely used around the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. wakitani@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wakitani
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horibe
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsuoka
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nawata
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tensho
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Kota
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uematsu
authors.forename: Ryosuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurosaka
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshiya
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohgushi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D008875:Middle Aged; D012449:Safety; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous