A study of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in 71 patients has shown that the procedure is effective in treating steroid-refractory or -dependent acute GVHD (aGVHD) or chronic GVHD (cGVHD) with lower severity in the early stages. The aGVHD overall response rate (ORR) and complete aGVHD-free survival for ECP was 65% and 50% respectively. Grade II and III aGVHD ORR response rate was 81% and 67% respectively, with no response seen in patients with grade IV aGVHD. The ORR for ECP in cGVHD was 81% while the complete cGVHD-free survival was 50%. The study also showed that the total nucleated cells and lymphocytes collected during the first eight ECP procedures had no effect on treatment response rates for aGVHD and cGVHD.
Outcomes of Extracorporeal Photopheresis Better in Early Stage GVHD
Apr 2015