Effect of monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide in rapidly deteriorating multiple sclerosis patients resistant to conventional therapy

Abstract

Fourteen consecutive clinically definite relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were treated with monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide (CTX) for 6 months. All had experienced severe clinical deterioration during the 12 months prior to treatment with CTX despite treatment with conventional immunomodulating agents and intravenous methylprednisolone. Treatment with CTX led to improvement and neurologic stability within 6 months which was sustained for at least 18 months after the onset of treatment with CTX. Therapy with CTX was well tolerated. CTX may be of benefit in MS patients who experience rapid clinical worsening and are resistant to conventional therapy.