Response as an end point in treatment trials for acute GVHD

Abstract

Although a significant reduction in risk of death due to allogeneic hematopoietic blood or marrow transplantation has been achieved over the last two decades, acute GVHD remains a major problem.1, 2 Strategies to eliminate GVHD while maintaining the beneficial graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect have not yet been developed for clinical use. Unfortunately, only about 60% of patients with acute GVHD respond to upfront treatment and far fewer respond to salvage therapies. Consequently, better treatment continues to be a serious unmet need.