Clinical efficacy of umbilical cord-derived menchymal stem cell treatment of refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease

  Objective   To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment of refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after allogene hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

  Methods   Seven patients developed with cGVHD following allogene hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conventional immunosuppressive agent treatment yielded no efficacy. Based upon immunosuppressive agent therapy, umbilical cord-derived MSC treatment was supplemented with a cell density of 1×10⁶/kg, once a week for consecutive 4 times. Clinical efficacy, safety and survival of the patients were observed.

  Results   Among 7 patients receiving MSC injection, 2 obtained complete response (CR) and 3 had partial response (PR) with an overall response rate of 5/7, and the remaining 2 cases achieved no response (NR). No adverse reactions were induced by MSC injection. No patient had primary disease recurrence. One patient developed secondary cytomegalovirus pneumonia after PR and died from severe pneumonia. The remaining patients survived.

  Conclusions   Umbilical cord -derived MSC injection is an efficacious and safe therapy of cGVHD.