A 36 year old man from the United Kingdom with multiple sclerosis had autologous HSCT at HSCT Hospital India in New Delhi. Before treatment he was having problems with his vision, with spasticity and with pain. He travelled to India on his own, so the hospital arranged a private nurse to look after him. After the treatment, he says in his own words that he has got better.
Multiple sclerosis, usually shortened to MS, is a condition in which the immune system attacks myelin. Myelin is the protective coating around the nerves of the brain and spinal cord, and damage to it disturbs the signals that control sight, movement and feeling. HSCT stands for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and in MS it is autologous, which means it uses the patient’s own stem cells. Chemotherapy removes the immune cells that damage myelin, and his stored stem cells are then returned to rebuild the immune system. He asked for his name to be kept private.
| A 36 year old patient from the UK: HSCT for MS Results at a Glance |
| Patient | He is a 36 year old man from the United Kingdom, and he asked for his name to be kept private. |
| Condition | He has multiple sclerosis, and a member of his treating team says he had already had several treatments before HSCT. |
| Symptoms before HSCT | He says he was having problems with his vision, with spasticity and with pain. |
| Walking before HSCT | A member of his treating team says he was unable to walk, or had spasticity in his legs, when he was taken up for the transplant. |
| Treatment | He had autologous HSCT at HSCT Hospital India in New Delhi. |
| Travel | He travelled alone, and HSCT Hospital India arranged a private nurse to look after him. |
| After HSCT | He says, in his own words, that he has got better. |
| Recorded | He recorded the video in hospital, after his stem cells had been returned to him. |
| Package price today | One all inclusive price of 30,000 US dollars covers a stay of up to 30 days. |
Why a 36 year old from the UK chose HSCT at HSCT Hospital India
He says that by the age of 36 his MS was causing problems with his eyesight, spasticity and pain. Spasticity is stiffness and tightness in the muscles, and in MS it most often affects the legs.
"I was having issues with my vision, and I was having issues with spasticity and pain."
MS patient from the United Kingdom, aged 36
A member of his treating team adds that he had already had several treatments before he was taken up for HSCT. Every patient starts with a free case review, whatever treatment they have had before. HSCT specialist doctors read the medical records before any travel is planned. Because he was travelling alone, he contacted the hospital directly. He says they explained everything to him, and he arrived in New Delhi on 25 October.
HSCT Hospital India emails its brochure to any patient who asks for it. The brochure sets out the treatment, the 30 day stay and everything the one price covers.
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What happened during his HSCT at HSCT Hospital India
His treatment began with tests. He says the team checked his blood for viruses and checked his chest, his lungs and his breathing, and that there were a great many tests.
"They did a lot of tests. They went through everything. They were quite thorough."
MS patient from the United Kingdom, aged 36
Those tests make up the full medical evaluation on arrival, and nothing else begins until it confirms that HSCT suits the patient. The first stage after that is called mobilisation. Growth factor injections, given with a short course of chemotherapy, move stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. A machine then separates the stem cells from the blood in a step doctors call leukapheresis, and the cells are frozen until they are returned.
He says the team then gave him chemotherapy to strip his immune system, and put his own stem cells back in. Doctors call these stages conditioning and reinfusion.
At HSCT Hospital India, conditioning uses cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug, together with anti-thymocyte globulin, usually shortened to ATG, which removes the T cells that damage myelin. This combination is non-myeloablative, which means it suppresses the bone marrow without destroying it. The HSCT protocols compared page sets this regimen beside those used in Mexico and Russia. Each stage is explained in the HSCT for multiple sclerosis guide.
How HSCT Hospital India looked after a patient who travelled alone
The all inclusive price covers a stay for an attendant who travels with the patient, usually a relative or a friend. He could not bring anyone with him. HSCT Hospital India therefore arranged a private nurse to look after him for the length of his stay. The nurse was a small additional charge outside the all inclusive price.
"They have gone above and beyond. They have made sure that everything is in order."
MS patient from the United Kingdom, aged 36
Nursing care runs around the clock because the whole treatment is given as an in-patient stay. That matters most in the days after conditioning. During that time the blood counts are at their lowest and the body has little defence against infection, so a fever can be caught and treated quickly.
Patients with MS can ask whether HSCT suits their own case before making any plans. HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India review the details each patient sends. An HSCT case manager then replies personally, free of charge and with no obligation.
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What changed for him after HSCT, in his own words
Before the transplant, a member of his treating team describes him as unable to walk, or having spasticity in his legs. After the reinfusion, the team took his blood counts to check everything, as he puts it. He then says, more than once in the video, that he has got better.
"They put my stem cells back in to help my body. Right after, [I] have got better."
MS patient from the United Kingdom, aged 36
| What the video records before and after his HSCT |
| Before: symptoms | He says he had problems with his vision, with spasticity and with pain. |
| Before: walking | A member of his treating team says he was unable to walk, or had spasticity in his legs. |
| Before: treatment | A member of his treating team says he had already had several treatments. |
| After: how he feels | He says, in his own words, that he has got better. |
Recovery from HSCT continues for months after the patient goes home, and its pace differs from one person to the next. The stages of that recovery are set out on the HSCT recovery time page.
How infection is kept under control during HSCT at HSCT Hospital India
The second speaker in the video says infection is now controlled successfully in India through simple hand washing and by educating people. He adds that the same advanced transplant work is done as in centres elsewhere in the world.
"They are able to control infections successfully by simple handwashing and educating the people."
Second speaker in the video, from the treating team
Each patient at HSCT Hospital India stays in a deluxe private room whose air passes through three levels of HEPA filters, which trap dust and germs. This helps protect the patient through the days when blood counts are at their lowest.
Patients travelling from the UK often have practical questions about flights, the medical visa and travelling without a companion. An HSCT case manager will call at a time that suits the patient, at no cost.
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HSCT for MS patients from the United Kingdom
A patient in the UK starts in the same way as a patient from any other country, by sending an online application with medical records. HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India review it and give an initial opinion free of charge. An HSCT case manager then helps with travel planning, and a full medical evaluation in New Delhi confirms suitability before treatment begins.
HSCT Hospital India has treated more than 1,500 people with MS, from over 30 countries, since 2016, using the non-myeloablative protocol developed by Dr Richard Burt. The hospital holds JCI-USA accreditation from the Joint Commission International, as well as NABH and NABL, India’s national boards for hospitals and laboratories. The price of 30,000 US dollars is all inclusive for up to 30 days. It covers treatment, the private room and the attendant’s stay, with food and laundry for both, and airport pick-up and drop-back. There is no long waiting list.
British patients will find cost and access set out on the HSCT for MS in the UK page. Margaret, Gary and Jayne, three other patients from the UK, tell their own stories. The medical checks that decide the initial opinion are listed on the HSCT eligibility criteria page.
Transcript of the video
Patient: At 36 years old, I have got multiple sclerosis, [words unclear] reduced quite a bit. I was having issues with my vision, and I was having issues with spasticity and pain. And because I was travelling alone, I contacted [the hospital]. They explained everything to me. I came over on [the] 25th of October.
Second speaker: He was having multiple sclerosis. He has been multiply treated. He is unable to walk, or he was having the spasticity in his legs, when we took [him] up for the transplant.
Patient: [When] I first came in, they did a lot of tests. They went through everything. They were quite thorough, checking my blood for any viruses, checking my chest, my lungs, my breathing, [word unclear]. There were so many tests that they did. And then they took me down to the intensive care unit to give me a bone [marrow] transplant. They took my blood, my stem cells, and they gave me really a lot of chemotherapy to strip my immune system. And then they put my stem cells back in to help my body. Right after, [I] have got better, and my counts have [been] taken, my blood counts, to check everything, and I have got better.
Second speaker: The success story [words unclear] shows us that India has really risen [words unclear] AMR. They have already risen to a position where they are able to control infections successfully by simple handwashing and educating the people, and doing high end, cutting edge technology work like any other centres in the world.
Patient: And the staff, the doctors and nurses, have been absolutely fantastic. They are not just good at the jobs, [they are] nice people. And [the] nurses were absolutely incredible, really great people. They have gone above and beyond. They have made sure that everything is in order. Right after, I have got better, and my counts have [been] taken, my blood counts, to check everything, and I have got better.
Patients in the United Kingdom can have their own case reviewed by the HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India before deciding anything. An HSCT case manager answers personally, free of charge, with no obligation.
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Read next
HSCT for multiple sclerosis: the full treatment guide
HSCT for MS in the UK: cost, access and the India route
HSCT eligibility criteria
Gary from the UK
How long it takes to recover after HSCT for MS
HSCT protocols compared: India, Mexico and Russia
More patient stories from HSCT Hospital India
