NISSc-2 is a prospective observational study specifically designed to assess the effectiveness of various post-transplant treatment management approaches on clinical and immune biological responses after Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell transplantation (AHSCT) for Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) as currently performed by the different treatment protocols used in routine clinical practice across Europe in various EBMT centres through the careful recording and analysis of routinely collected clinical and immune biological data, and specific data regarding post-transplant use of SSc active treatments, including:~Steroids,~SSc active treatments after AHSCT such as mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), azathioprine, cyclophosphamide (oral or IV), methotrexate, polyclonal antibodies (such as ATG) or monoclonal antibodies (rituximab, belimumab or any others) as well as their respective dosage and duration of each treatment. These post-transplant treatments can be administered for various reasons, which can be specified by local investigators, such as per local protocol decision for maintenance therapy, or for disease progression with or without prior clinical response, during routine clinical follow-up. Patients who do not receive any post-transplant therapy will also be observed.~Different protocols are used in the different centres, but it is not yet clear, which approach will be the most efficient and the safest. The role of stem cell purification with CD34-selection also needs to be determined prospectively.~In addition, the EBMT Autoimmune Diseases and Immunobiology Working Parties developed and implemented guidelines for 'good laboratory practice' in relation to procurement, processing, storage and analysis of biological specimens for immune reconstitution studies in AD patients before, during and after AHSCT [16]. To follow post-transplant immune reconstitution according to ADWP GCP, results of routine analyses performed by centres under standardized conditions on available biological samples will be investigated in correlation to clinical outcome parameters. Every centre will follow its own local protocol for AHSCT, which usually refers to the recent update of the EBMT guidelines for AHSCT in autoimmune disease.~We therefore specifically designed NISCC-II to prospectively capture various post-ASHCT management protocols and their effect on the observed clinical response after AHSCT.
The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of various post-transplant treatment management approaches on clinical and immune biological responses after Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell transplantation (AHSCT) for Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) as currently performed by the different treatment protocols used in routine clinical practice across Europe in various EBMT centres