stem cell treatment in MS

[anciendaze]

@maryb,

Maybe you can give us a better idea of what that treatment involved. I had heard that the reason for going out of the country was the cost of a long hospitalization, not regulatory issues. I know the treatment which does involve chemo to destroy the damaged immune system requires such hospitalization, so I assumed something similar was going on in these cases.

Unfortunately, as I recall, Cheney concluded it was not as effective as hoped, particularly for the patients who had been sick longest. If infected immune cells were not being destroyed this would lead to whatever new cells were introduced being infected after treatment. We don't know there were infected cells, but this hypothesis would explain the results.

 

[maryb]

@anciendaze
no sorry I don't know much more - I remember we had a couple of people on here who were going to a latin American country (not sure which one ) for the stem cell treatment - they reported back they were no better and then they seem to have disappeared off the forum so who knows????

 

[Sushi]

The Cheyney patients who went for stem cell treatment didn't receive chemo.......

They had a very different procedure--their own stem cells were not used and the stem cells were injected into a vein (I believe), withhout trying to destroy "suspect" parts of the immune system.

As I remember from a friend who had this procedure several times, there was an initial good response but it didn't last.

Sushi

 

[Aerose91]

@anciendaze
no sorry I don't know much more - I remember we had a couple of people on here who were going to a latin American country (not sure which one ) for the stem cell treatment - they reported back they were no better and then they seem to have disappeared off the forum so who knows????

Would love to catch up with one of them!