An investigation led by the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London (United Kingdom) has provided clear evidence that autologous transplantation (where the stem cells for transplantation are obtained from the patient who will act as recipient) of stem cells Hematopoietic represents an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) . Scientists have discovered that this procedure has managed to stop the progression of Multiple Sclerosis disease for 5 years in almost half of the patients treated.
The negative side of this excellent news is that more clinical trials are still needed to determine the efficacy and safety of this transplant, since a small number of patients died throughout the 100 days that the experimental treatment lasted.
The patients underwent high doses of chemotherapy to kill any diseased cells. Afterwards, the stem cells obtained from the subject himself were returned to his bloodstream, with the aim of restarting the normal production of blood cells. In simple terms , hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ‘restores’ the immune system.
“Previously we knew that this treatment rebooted or restored the immune system, and that it carries risks, but we did not know how long the benefits lasted,” says Paolo Muraro, leader of the work. The study showed that treatment stopped the progression of multiple sclerosis for at least 5 years in 46% of the 281 patients with multiple sclerosis (who were treated between 1995 and 2006 and of whom 78% had a progressive form of sclerosis multiple.
While these results are promising for the use of this therapy in patients with MS, the team clarifies that there were 8 deaths in the 100 days after transplantation, since aggressive chemotherapy can severely weaken the immune system and increase susceptibility to infection. .
“In this study, which is the largest long-term follow-up study of this procedure, we have shown that we can freeze a patient’s disease and prevent it from getting worse, for up to 5 years . However, we must bear in mind that treatment involves a small risk of death, and we are talking about a disease that is not immediately fatal, “Muraro says.
The study has been published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
