Early recurrence of rheumatoid arthritis after nonmyeloablative allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation in a patient with multiple myeloma

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2003 Sep;32(6):629-31. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1704183.

Abstract

Allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation with reduced conditioning has been proposed as a new, potentially curative treatment option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We report a 60-year-old woman with RA and coexisting multiple myeloma who was treated with high-dose melphalan and autologous blood stem cell transplantation (BSCT) followed by a nonmyeloablative allogeneic BSCT from her healthy dizygotic twin brother. She achieved a complete remission of her RA after autologous BSCT, but relapsed early despite complete donor chimerism following successful allogeneic transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning. This case illustrates that allogeneic BSCT following nonmyeloablative conditioning may be an uncertain option for curing patients with RA.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Melphalan / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Myeloma / complications*
  • Multiple Myeloma / therapy*
  • Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Recurrence
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods*
  • Transplantation, Autologous
  • Transplantation, Homologous
  • Treatment Failure

Substances

  • Melphalan