Cell-based therapy using different sources and different treatment regimens for 'no-option' CLI patients

Background

Critical limb ischaemia (CLI) is characterised by severe leg pain on walking and at rest and hard-to-heal wounds, which may lead to disability and death. The procedure that aims to improve blood flow to the affected limb, known as 'revascularisation', is the gold standard therapy. However, 25% to 40% of people with CLI are not suitable for or have failed previous revascularisation therapy. Therefore, for these patients, the only option for relieving pain and stopping wound infection from spreading is limb amputation. These patients are commonly referred to as 'no-option' CLI patients.

Cell-based therapy is increasingly recognised as a promising novel treatment for CLI. Most of the data for this novel approach have been obtained from studies based on patients' own cells, also known as 'autologous cells'. However, current data on the efficacy of autologous cells are limited because available information about the sources used to obtain these cells (e.g. bone marrow, peripheral blood), the doses used (e.g. high or low cell dose), and the method of cell administration selected (e.g. cell injection into muscles or into blood vessels) is limited. In this review, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of autologous cell-based therapy derived from different sources and prepared as different treatment regimens for 'no-option' CLI patients.

Study characteristics and key results

We analysed the findings of seven randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving 359 CLI patients revealed by our literature search, which was current to 16 May 2018.

We evaluated two main sources of stem cell treatment, namely, 'bone marrow-mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs)' and 'mobilised peripheral blood stem cells (mPBSCs)'. Limited data suggest that BM-MNCs or mPBSCs resulted in similar rates of limb amputation and death. Also, the two cell sources appeared to yield similar numbers of patients with improved rest pain, ulcer healing, and lower limb blood flow parameters as measured via the ankle-brachial index (ABI). However, data from one RCT show that mPBSC implantation resulted in improved transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcO₂) readings when compared to BM-MNC. Data from one RCT show no clear difference in amputation rates between patients receiving high cell dose and low cell dose, and no difference in clinical outcomes whether patients received cell doses via intramuscular or intra-articular routes. Study authors reported no significant short-term adverse effects attributed to autologous cell implantation.

Quality of the evidence

The quality of evidence for all outcomes varied but was mostly low to very low owing to limitations in study design and lack of data for several important outcomes. Taken together, there is insufficient high-quality evidence to assess the effects of using a particular source or treatment regimen of cell-based therapy for CLI in clinical practice. Larger trials with longer follow-up are needed to evaluate the long-term benefits and safety of various cell-based products for patients with CLI.

Authors' conclusions: 

Mostly low- and very low-quality evidence suggests no clear differences between different stem cell sources and different treatment regimens of autologous cell implantation for outcomes such as all-cause mortality, amputation rate, ulcer healing, and rest pain for 'no-option' CLI patients. Pooled analyses did not show a clear difference in clinical outcomes whether cells were administered via IM or IA routes. High-quality evidence is lacking; therefore the efficacy and long-term safety of autologous cells derived from different sources, prepared using different protocols, administered at different doses, and delivered via different routes for the treatment of 'no-option' CLI patients, remain to be confirmed.

Future RCTs with larger numbers of participants are needed to determine the efficacy of cell-based therapy for CLI patients, along with the optimal cell source, phenotype, dose, and route of implantation. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm the durability of angiogenic potential and the long-term safety of cell-based therapy.

Read the full abstract...
Background: 

Revascularisation is the gold standard therapy for patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI). In over 30% of patients who are not suitable for or have failed previous revascularisation therapy (the 'no-option' CLI patients), limb amputation is eventually unavoidable. Preliminary studies have reported encouraging outcomes with autologous cell-based therapy for the treatment of CLI in these 'no-option' patients. However, studies comparing the angiogenic potency and clinical effects of autologous cells derived from different sources have yielded limited data. Data regarding cell doses and routes of administration are also limited.

Objectives: 

To compare the efficacy and safety of autologous cells derived from different sources, prepared using different protocols, administered at different doses, and delivered via different routes for the treatment of 'no-option' CLI patients.

Search strategy: 

The Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist (CIS) searched the Cochrane Vascular Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), and trials registries (16 May 2018). Review authors searched PubMed until February 2017.

Selection criteria: 

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving 'no-option' CLI patients comparing a particular source or regimen of autologous cell-based therapy against another source or regimen of autologous cell-based therapy.

Data collection and analysis: 

Three review authors independently assessed the eligibility and methodological quality of the trials. We extracted outcome data from each trial and pooled them for meta-analysis. We calculated effect estimates using a risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), or a mean difference (MD) with 95% CI.

Main results: 

We included seven RCTs with a total of 359 participants. These studies compared bone marrow-mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) versus mobilised peripheral blood stem cells (mPBSCs), BM-MNCs versus bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), high cell dose versus low cell dose, and intramuscular (IM) versus intra-arterial (IA) routes of cell implantation. We identified no other comparisons in these studies. We considered most studies to be at low risk of bias in random sequence generation, incomplete outcome data, and selective outcome reporting; at high risk of bias in blinding of patients and personnel; and at unclear risk of bias in allocation concealment and blinding of outcome assessors. The quality of evidence was most often low to very low, with risk of bias, imprecision, and indirectness of outcomes the major downgrading factors.

Three RCTs (100 participants) reported a total of nine deaths during the study follow-up period. These studies did not report deaths according to treatment group.

Results show no clear difference in amputation rates between IM and IA routes (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.18; three RCTs, 95 participants; low-quality evidence). Single-study data show no clear difference in amputation rates between BM-MNC- and mPBSC-treated groups (RR 1.54, 95% CI 0.45 to 5.24; 150 participants; low-quality evidence) and between high and low cell dose (RR 3.21, 95% CI 0.87 to 11.90; 16 participants; very low-quality evidence). The study comparing BM-MNCs versus BM-MSCs reported no amputations.

Single-study data with low-quality evidence show similar numbers of participants with healing ulcers between BM-MNCs and mPBSCs (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.83; 49 participants) and between IM and IA routes (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.76; 41 participants). In contrast, more participants appeared to have healing ulcers in the BM-MSC group than in the BM-MNC group (RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.92; one RCT, 22 participants; moderate-quality evidence). Researchers comparing high versus low cell doses did not report ulcer healing.

Single-study data show similar numbers of participants with reduction in rest pain between BM-MNCs and mPBSCs (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.06; 104 participants; moderate-quality evidence) and between IM and IA routes (RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.64; 32 participants; low-quality evidence). One study reported no clear difference in rest pain scores between BM-MNC and BM-MSC (MD 0.00, 95% CI -0.61 to 0.61; 37 participants; moderate-quality evidence). Trials comparing high versus low cell doses did not report rest pain.

Single-study data show no clear difference in the number of participants with increased ankle-brachial index (ABI; increase of > 0.1 from pretreatment), between BM-MNCs and mPBSCs (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.40; 104 participants; moderate-quality evidence), and between IM and IA routes (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.43 to 2.00; 35 participants; very low-quality evidence). In contrast, ABI scores appeared higher in BM-MSC versus BM-MNC groups (MD 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09; one RCT, 37 participants; low-quality evidence). ABI was not reported in the high versus low cell dose comparison.

Similar numbers of participants had improved transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcO₂) with IM versus IA routes (RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.72; two RCTs, 62 participants; very low-quality evidence). Single-study data with low-quality evidence show a higher TcO₂ reading in BM-MSC versus BM-MNC groups (MD 8.00, 95% CI 3.46 to 12.54; 37 participants) and in mPBSC- versus BM-MNC-treated groups (MD 1.70, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.99; 150 participants). TcO₂ was not reported in the high versus low cell dose comparison.

Study authors reported no significant short-term adverse effects attributed to autologous cell implantation.