Remission is not maintained over 2 years with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract
BACKGROUND Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation (HSCT) is being accepted as a standard of care in various inflammatory diseases. The treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) has been closely evolving with the understanding of disease pathogenesis. With the rising resistance to the traditional disease-modifying anti- rheumatic drugs and targeted biological therapy, researchers are in pursuit of
other methods for disease management. Since the ultimate goal of the ideal treatment of RA is to restore immune tolerance, HSCT attracts much attention considering its reparative, paracrine, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, a
systematic review of studies on HSCT in RA is lacking.