HSCT attempts to reset the immune system to slow or stop MS from progressing, at least temporarily.
But it’s only available in clinical trials and not everyone with MS is eligible for it.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
What Is HSCT Treatment?
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
The goal of HSCT is to potentially “reboot” or reset the body’s immune system.
Since MS is anautoimmune disease, the body’s immune system is under attack from itself.
How Is Autologous HSCT Different From Other Types of HSCT?
This can halt disease progression, but also improve sometimes debilitating neurological symptoms.
The treatment also needs to be more accessible to patients.
Collaborating on an appropriate treatment plan ensures that a person with MS has a say in their own care.
When conventional therapies are failing to adequately manage the disease, some new options may be worth discussing.
These studies can be found onClinicalTrials.gov.
Through studies performed to date, HSCT has proven that it warrants further research.
Though not FDA-approved for widespread use in MS patients, clinical trials are ongoing.
It’s essential to inform your healthcare provider about all the treatment options you’re interested in.
However, HSCT is not currently approved for the treatment of MS and is considered experimental.
Thus, ongoing trials need to provide more evidence for potential future approval.
HSCT is not the same thing as chemotherapy.
Ghasemi N, Razavi S, Nikzad E.Multiple sclerosis: pathogenesis, symptoms, diagnoses and cell-based therapy.Cell J.
2019;80(1):33-39. doi:10.12968/hmed.2019.80.1.33
