In this prospective trial, researchers administered imatinib to treat steroid-refractory chronic GVHD in 39 adult transplant recipients aged 28-73 years. Recipients had undergone transplantation for hematological disorders including CML, myelofibrosis, MDS, multiple myeloma, NHL, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and CLL. After six months, 14 patients experienced partial responses, and four had minor responses with relevant steroid sparing (46%). Best responses were seen in the lungs, gut, and skin: 35%, 50%, and 32%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 40 months, three-year survival and event-free survival was 72% and 46%, respectively. Three-year survival was 94% for patients responding at six months, and 58% for non-responders.
Olivieri A, et al. BloodImatinib to Treat Steroid-Refractory Chronic GVHD
Dec 2013