January 3, 2023
Read in 2 minutes
Source/Disclosure
Disclosure:
This study was funded by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
In patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may delay disability more than some multiple sclerosis drugs, researchers report Neurology.
Uncontrolled evidence suggests that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be effective in patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Matilde Inglese, MD, PhD, Written by University of Genoa, Italy and colleagues.
“Although hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was previously found to delay disability in patients with relapsing-remitting MS, less is known about whether such transplantation would help delay disability in the more advanced stages of the disease. not,” Inglese said in a press release. American Neurological Association.
Most MS patients are initially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, but many eventually progress to secondary progressive MS, according to the release.
Inglese and colleagues compared the effects of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to those of other anti-inflammatory disease-modifying therapies in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
Researchers collected data from the Italian Bone Marrow Transplantation Study Group and the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Registry. Eligible patients started treatment after diagnosis of secondary progressive MS. Deterioration of disability was assessed by observed disability progression over a 6-month period according to the Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS).
We matched 79 patients treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and 1,975 patients treated with other DMTs.
Time to first evidence of disability progression was significantly longer in transplant patients (HR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.31-0.81), with 61.7% of transplant patients free of disability progression at 5 years was. Also, her 10-year EDSS time trend was higher in other her DMT-treated patients compared to transplanted patients.
Furthermore, patients who received stem cell transplants were more likely to experience sustained disability improvement, with 34.7% of patients improving 3 years after transplant compared to 4.6% of patients receiving another DMT. maintained.
“Current treatments for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis have only modest benefits, but stem cell transplantation not only delays disability but slightly improves symptoms more than many other multiple sclerosis treatments. Our results are encouraging because we know it’s possible,” Inglese said in the release.
But while the study’s findings may be encouraging, Inglese notes that they don’t apply to patients with secondary progressive MS who have no signs of inflammatory disease activity.
reference:
Stem cell transplantation may delay disability more than some multiple sclerosis drugs. https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/5037. Published December 21, 2022. Accessed 3 January 2023.
