This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Game changing stem cell transplant for MS patients
The European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation annual conference has heard how a stem cell transplant could be a ‘game changer’ for many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Over 100 patients took part in the trial, in hospitals in Chicago, Sheffield, Uppsala in Sweden and Sao Paolo in Brazil, and found that the transplant was able to stop the disease and improve symptoms. The result were based upon a trail which wiped out a patient's immune system using cancer drugs and then rebooting it with a stem cell transplant.
Approximately 100,000 people in the UK have MS, which, due to the condition affecting the brain and/or spinal cord, can cause problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
As part of the trial, the patients received either haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or drug treatment, with only one relapse occurring among the stem cell group after one year compared with 39 in the drug group. A three-year follow up also showed that the transplants had failed in three out of 52 patients, compared with 30 of 50 in the control group.
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, director research at the MS Society, praised the results but advised caution over where HSCT fits in with other DMTs.
She said: “The MIST results are important and show this area needs further research. While HSCT appears to be effective for some people with MS, it remains a high-risk treatment that won’t be right for everyone. We now need to know how HSCT compares to existing, less aggressive, MS treatment options. HSCT will soon be recognised as an established treatment in England. And when that happens our priority will be making sure those who could benefit can actually get it. We’ve seen life changing results for some people and having that opportunity can’t depend on your postcode.”
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