Randomized trial reveals the role of autoantibodies in predicting relapse after AHCT in systemic sclerosis, indicating potential treatment insights.
Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) has emerged as the most effective treatment for selected patients with rapidly progressive systemic sclerosis (SSc), a disease in which immune dysregulation, vasculopathy, and fibrosis can progress to irreversible organ damage and premature death despite conventional immunosuppression.¹ Three randomized controlled trials (ASSIST, Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Scleroderma [ASTIS], and Scleroderma: Cyclophosphamide or Transplantation [SCOT]) demonstrated that AHCT confers superior survival, faster improvement of skin fibrosis, and better quality of life compared to conventional immunosuppressive therapy.²⁻⁴
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Papa et al. (2026) studied this question.
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