High-dose cyclophosphamide and autologous hematopoieitic cell transplantation for inflammatory bowel disease – a single center experience

Background: Despite recent advances in immunosuppressive therapy, up to 10% of patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease remain refractory to conventional treatment. Recent studies show that immune ablation by high-dose immunsuppression and autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplantation (aPBHCT) may efficiently induce long-lasting clinical remission in autoimmune disease. Methods: We conducted a phase I/II single center trial of a two step approach of aPBHCT in 8 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 2 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) refractory to conventional treatment. Step 1 inclu…