A new study shows that aggressive chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant can halt the progression of multiple sclerosis.
While one existing treatment of MS involves suppressing the immune system with chemotherapy and then introducing stem cells into the patient's bloodstream, this study goes one step farther by completely destroying the immune system. Researchers then rebuild it with stem cells harvested from the patient's own blood, which are at such an early stage, they haven't developed the defects that trigger MS.
The study, conducted at three hospitals in Canada, included 24 patients between the ages of 18 and 50 whose MS symptoms did not respond conventional immunosuppressive therapy.
For 23 of the patients, researchers found the treatment greatly reduced onset of the disease. These patients had no relapses and no new detectable disease activity for up to 13 years.
While the treatment does offer hope for MS patients, it also comes with serious risks, as one patient in the study died from the powerful effects of the chemotherapy.
Mark Freedman, MD, lead researcher of the study, admitted there were limitations to the study including small sample size and lack of a control group. He says larger clinical trials will be important in confirming the study's results.
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