AUTOLOGOUS haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) can improve the quality of life (QoL) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data presented at the EBMT 2024 Annual Meeting. This neurogenerative disease of the central nervous system is associated with a significant decrease in QoL of affected patients, due to the spectrum of neurological disorders it causes, and the patients’ perception of abnormal physical, emotional, and cognitive state. While ASCT is a validated therapeutic approach, its impact on QoL is not known yet, which is why researchers conducted a quasi-experimental, longitudinal, prospective, and single-centre study.
QoL was determined through the MS-QoL 54 instrument before and 1 year after patients with MS underwent ASCT. The team analysed demographic characteristics, as well as variables related to physical and mental components of the instruments. Incomplete questionnaires were excluded, as were patients who could not answer the questionnaire themselves. The ‘Mexican method’ was used to conduct the ASCT, which uses high-dose rituximab and cyclophosphamide.
A total of 38 patients completed the questionnaire, of whom 21 (56%) were female, 12 (32%) had primary progressive MS, 22 (58%) had relapsing-remitting MS, and four (11%) had secondary progressive MS (median age: 47 years). Results showed a statistically significant difference in the energy component between before and 1 year after ASCT (40.73 versus 49.57; p=0.0400). The same was true for the health distress component (40.65 versus 55.26; p=0.0020), difference in health perception (47.1 versus 56.31; p=0.0110), and chance in health (31.57 versus 63.81; p<0.0001). In the physical and mental component, however, the team found no statistically significant difference between before and after treatment. The team concluded that some aspects of QoL are improved by ASCT in patients with MS.
