Evaluating First-Line Therapy for Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Guest: Yi Bin Chen, MD

Guest: Olaf Penack, MD

For the past several decades, standard treatment for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) has been systemic high-dose steroids.¹ While essential in some ways to initially control aGVHD, steroids are not beneficial in the long run due to the immunosuppression and toxicities associated with high cumulative doses.^1,2 So what can be done moving forward to improve first-line steroid response and minimize cumulative steroid exposure? Joining Dr Charles Turck to discuss the potential of nonimmunosuppressive steroid-sparing agents for the first-line treatment of aGVHD are Drs Yi Bin Chen and Olaf Penack. Dr Chen is the Director of the Hematopoietic Cell Transplant and Cell Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr Penack is a senior physician and principal investigator within Hematology and Oncology at Charité Berlin.

References:

1. Bell EJ, Yu J, Bhatt V, et al. Healthcare resource utilization and costs of steroid-associated complications in patients with graft-versus-host disease. Transplant and Cell Ther. 2022;28(10):707.e1-707.e7.
2. Martin PJ, Rizzo JD, Wingard JR, et al. First- and second-line systemic treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease: recommendations of the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2012;18(8):1150-1163.

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