Response to Autologous HSCT Durable for Patients With Systemic Sclerosis

TUESDAY, Nov. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For patients with systemic sclerosis undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), long-term follow-up indicates durable response, with 60 percent progression-free survival at 10 years, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in The Lancet Rheumatology.

Joerg Henes, M.D., Ph.D., from the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany, and colleagues conducted a cohort study involving patients with systemic sclerosis who had undergone their first autologous HSCT. Follow-up data were obtained from 13 participating centers, which completed a yearly case report form for each patient alive after two years and up to 10 years after autologous HSCT.

The long-term extension study included 80 patients with systemic sclerosis who had an autologous HSCT between Dec. 4, 2012, and Jan. 19, 2016, with a median follow-up of 9.2 years. The researchers found that progression-free survival was 81, 72, and 60 percent at two, five, and 10 years, respectively. Overall, 18 patients died during the study, with causes of death including autologous HSCT-related causes, disease progression, post-autologous HSCT malignancy, and late serious infection in five, nine, two, and two patients, respectively (6, 11, 3, and 3 percent, respectively). Over 10 years, 34 patients (43 percent) maintained remission without immunosuppressive treatment.

“These long-term findings help clinicians understand the durability of systemic sclerosis disease control following autologous hematology cell transplantation, while highlighting the risks that require continued monitoring,” Henes said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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