Stem-cell transplantation may help certain patients with CLI

Purified CD34+ cell transplantation enhanced limb salvage rates and quality of life at 5 years in patients with angiitis-related critical limb ischemia, researchers reported.

“These long-term results, involving 27 patients, suggest a potential new cell therapy for this debilitating disease,” Anthony Atala, MD, editor-in-chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a press release. “This is especially significant because, until now, many of these patients had no treatment option

Weiguo Fu, MD, from the department of vascular surgery, Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai, and colleagues analyzed 5-year results of 27 patients with angiitis-related CLI (mean age, 40 years; 26 men) who were not eligible for surgical or endovascular revascularization and received purified CD34+ cell transplantation.

At 5 years, the rate of major amputation-free survival was 88.89%; peak pain-free walking time was 17 minutes, up from 3 minutes at baseline; Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale score was 0.3, down from 7 at baseline; the ulcer healing rate was 85.71%; the recurrence rate was 11.11%; and SF-36, version 2 scores were improved.

The rate of labor recovery at 5 years was 65.38% and no serious adverse events were reported, according to the researchers.

“Notably, in 17 patients (65.38%), not only were their limbs saved, but they also fully recovered their labor competence and returned to their original jobs by week 260,” Fu said in the release. “[Purified CD34+ cell transplantation] demonstrated long-term efficacy and durability as a treatment of [angiitis-related] CLI, not only in achieving limb salvage but also in recovering the labor competence and improving the patient’s quality of life.” – by Erik Swain

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures