The Use of Donor Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Steroid Refractory Graft Versus Host Disease. Ten Years of Single Center Experience

Special Article - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Ann Hematol Oncol. 2017; 4(5): 1152.

The Use of Donor Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Steroid Refractory Graft Versus Host Disease. Ten Years of Single Center Experience

Lakota J*

Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute BMC, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, St. Elizabeth Cancer Institute, Slovakia

*Corresponding author: Lakota J, Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute BMC, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava 845 05, Slovakia

Received: April 18, 2017; Accepted: May 08, 2017; Published: May 20, 2017

Short Communication

During the years 2003-2012 there were 94 sibling allogeneic stem cell transplants (alloTx) performed at the National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia. From them 43 (46%) patients were treated with reduced intensity conditioning (RI) and 10 (11%) patients received a HLA haploidentical graft. Eight patients (8.5%) developed steroid refractory graft versus host disease (GVHD). After obtaining a general approval from Ethics Committee, all 8 patients had been eligible for the infusion of freshly prepared ex vivo expanded mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The MSC for ex vivo expansion were isolated from the bone marrow of the sibling donor and expanded according to Koç, et al. [1]. The patients’ characteristics are shown in the Table 1. The mean number of the MSC infused was 0.4x106 cells per kg of body weight. (Range 0.3-0.5x106 cells/kg). Two patients (No 5 and 7) received the MSC twice. Four patients died because of refractory GVHD. From the other 4 patients, two died because of the disease progression, one because of the fungal infection and one is alive up to 10 years after alloTxin complete remission without any signs of cGVHD. It should be noted that all patients were heavily pretreated but the last one who is alive, with more than 5 lines of chemotherapy including autologous stem cell transplantation. Nevertheless, the steroid refractory GVHD resolved in half (4) of them. Moreover it seems to be plausible to have the MSC “in stock” for rapid ex vivo expansion in order to use the cells freshly prepared (not frozen, thawed and immediately applied) [2].

Citation:Lakota J. The Use of Donor Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Steroid Refractory Graft Versus Host Disease. Ten Years of Single Center Experience. Ann Hematol Oncol. 2017; 4(5): 1152. ISSN:2375-7965