Can New Treatment "Halt" MS?

A new treatment that combines aggressive chemotherapy and stem cell transplant can halt MS, a small study has suggested.

16:37 15 June 2016

Around 100,000 people in the UK suffer from multiple sclerosis, an incurable neurological disease. In a recent small study, it has been claimed that the progression of this condition can be halted by combining aggressive chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.

 

An MS Society spokeswoman said that although the treatment does “offer hope” it comes with “significant risks.”

 

The treatment was tried on 24 patients aged between 18 and 50 from three hospitals in Canada. For 23 patients, the treatment greatly reduced the onset of the disease but one person died.

 

Lead author Dr Mark Freedman said: "Larger clinical trials will be important to confirm these results.

 

"Since this is an aggressive treatment, the potential benefits should be weighed against the risks of serious complications associated with HSCT and this treatment should only be offered in specialist centres experienced both in multiple sclerosis treatment and stem cell therapy, or as part of a clinical trial."

 

Dr Emma Gray, who is head of clinical trials at the MS Society, said: "This type of stem cell 

 

transplantation is a rapidly evolving area of MS research that holds a lot of promise for people with certain types of MS.

 

"This treatment does offer hope, but it's also an aggressive procedure that comes with substantial risks and requires specialist aftercare. If anyone is considering HSCT we'd recommend they speak to their neurologist."