Here are some great resources as you navigate the ocean of information about HSCT as a treatment for MS:
How a stem cell transplant for MS is keeping me on my feet
Keep Checking back! I'm still working on this for you!
TRUTH.
Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHSCT) is the longest and most difficult name to pronounce for a treatment that keeps us MSers progression free.
Before you continue your research, let me help dispel any misinformation right away:
HSCT is not a cure for MS. Depending on your type of MS and at what stage post-diagnosis you are, HSCT will give you 70% or greater chance of halting the disease. This is to say, you have fantastic chances of not getting any worse. And the earlier you decide on this treatment, the greater the chances.
Now, that said, there's no guarantees the treatment will reverse the damage the disease has caused. Again, depending on the type of MS and in what stage of disease progression, you could suddenly have symptom reversal or improvement, but the goal of HSCT is to stop the disease progression in its tracks.
HSCT is not stem cell therapy. Be very wary of clinics that claim to perform stem cell therapy to cure MS! Autologous HSCT (aHSCT) is a transplant of one's own stem cells after ablating the immune system through chemotherapy. Let's look at this in a nutshell: the immune system is where the disease lives. So, we'll wipe out the immune system and any memory of MS. Then we'll use our own stem cells to help rebuild the immune system again. I know, I asked the same question about stem cells-- NO, there's nothing wrong with the stem cells. They're perfect the way they are. But if there's one take-away in this little paragraph, it's this: no chemo, no cure.
Once again, I am not going to try to be the medical professional. I am directing you here to the sources of HSCT protocol and information I trust.