Bone marrow transplantation for multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common demyelinating neurologic disease. Animal studies from three separate institutions suggest that BMT may be beneficial. Of paramount concern is the risk to benefit ratio. However, for patients with progressive disease at onset, survival is similar to patients with indolent lymphomas; while for patients with malignant MS, survival is roughly equivalent to chronic phase CML. In addition, for these patients, life may become intolerable due to progressive pain and disability. The fate of such individuals may justify, in carefully selected patients and in a controlled investigational protocol, the risk of early mortality from BMT.