Phase I Pilot Study of Total-Body Irradiation, Anti-Thymocyte Globulin and Cyclophosphamide Followed By Syngeneic or Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

You may be eligible if

• PROTOCOL ENTRY CRITERIA:
• -Disease Characteristics--
• Diagnosis of rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) by Proser criteria and at high risk for a fatal outcome or severe disability with one of the following:
• Primary progressive disease
• Relapsing/remitting disease with 2 or more attacks in 2 years
• Secondary progressive disease
• Extended disability status scale (EDSS) between 5.0 and 8.0 with deterioration in the EDSS of 1 or more points over the past year
• More than 60 days since relapse of MS
• No evidence of myelodysplasia
• Sibling donor proven to be an identical twin by ABO typing, HLA typing, and VNTR analysis (for syngeneic transplantation)
• -Prior/Concurrent Therapy--
• Radiotherapy: No prior total-lymphoid irradiation
• Other: No other concurrent investigational agents
• -Patient Characteristics-- Hepatic: No hepatic impairment that would preclude high-dose immunosuppressive therapy
• Renal: No renal impairment that would preclude high-dose immunosuppressive therapy
• Cardiovascular: No cardiac impairment that would preclude high-dose immunosuppressive therapy
• Pulmonary: No pulmonary impairment that would preclude high-dose immunosuppressive therapy
• Other:
• No neurologic impairment that would preclude high-dose immunosuppressive therapy
• No active uncontrolled infection
• No active malignancy
• No other illness that would severely limit life expectancy
• No medical or psychiatric conditions that would preclude study
• No history of hypersensitivity to murine proteins or E. coli-derived proteins
• No demonstrated lack of compliance with prior medical care
• Able to undergo an MRI scan
• HIV negative
• Not pregnant or nursing