Course of Crohn's disease after allogeneic marrow transplantation

S O Lopez-Cubero1, K M Sullivan, G B McDonald

  • 1Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98109-1024, USA.

Gastroenterology
|March 13, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) can induce long-term remission in Crohn's disease. Four of five patients remained disease-free for over 4.5 years post-HCT, suggesting immune dysregulation correction.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Crohn's disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder.
  • Allogeneic marrow transplantation has induced remission in various autoimmune diseases.
  • The study investigated if allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) alters Crohn's disease progression.

Observation:

  • Six patients with Crohn's disease and leukemia received allogeneic HCT between 1982 and 1992.
  • Five patients had active CD and three had sclerosing cholangitis pre-transplant.
  • Donors included HLA-identical siblings, a DR-mismatched relative, and an HLA-matched unrelated donor.

Findings:

  • Four of five patients observed for 4.5 to 15.3 years achieved sustained remission from Crohn's disease.
  • One patient with mixed chimerism relapsed 1.5 years post-transplant.
  • One patient died of septicemia 97 days post-transplant.

Implications:

  • Host immune dysregulation is implicated in Crohn's disease pathogenesis.
  • Allogeneic HCT may offer a curative approach for refractory Crohn's disease.
  • Further research into HCT for autoimmune conditions is warranted.
Abstract

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