Reconstitution of the immune system and clinical correlates after stem cell transplantation for systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease that includes fibrosis, diffuse vasculopathy, inflammation, and autoimmunity. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) is considered for patients with severe and progressive SSc. In recent decades, knowledge about patient management and clinical outcomes after auto-HSCT has significantly improved. Mechanistic studies have contributed to increasing the comprehension of how profound and long-lasting are the modifications to the immune system induced by transplantation. This review revisits the immune monitoring studies after auto-HSCT for SSc patients and how they relate to clinical outcomes. This understanding is essential to further improve clinical applications of auto-HSCT and enhance patient outcomes.

Immune Ablation and Stem Cell Rescue in Two Pediatric Patients with Progressive Severe Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

“…It is most important to learn how the immune system recovers after immune ablation and how we can assure that alloreactivity does not reoccur. In the autoimmune disease setting, this has been addressed in various publications [ 18 , 19 ]. Both of our patients showed rapid hematological reconstitution ( Figure 5 ).…”