Stem cell transplantation for immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis

Systemic chemotherapy aimed at eradicating transformed plasma cells is the mainstay of treatment for immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL). Autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a highly effective treatment for AL and can lead to long term survival in excess of 10 years in patients who achieve complete remission. Since AL is a unique disease characterized by multiple organ dysfunction, SCT poses unique challenges in this disease. Morbidity and mortality of SCT has remarkably improved over time primarily due to careful selection of patients and evolution of predictive and prognostic models based on serum immunoglobulin light chains and cardiac biomarkers.
Source: Current Problems in Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research