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Ruxolitinib in acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease: real life long-term experience in a multi-center study for adult and pediatric patients, on behalf of the GETH-TC

Abstract

Ruxolitinib has been approved for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients ≥12 years with steroid refractory graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). However, real-life studies are needed to confirm the results of clinical trials and further assess its efficacy in special populations. We performed a descriptive, retrospective, multi-center study of 352 adults and 42 pediatric patients treated with ruxolitinib for steroid-refractory acute or chronic GvHD. Among 119 and 233 adult patients with acute and chronic GvHD, overall response rate (ORR) was 58.8% (CR 33.6%) and 65.7% (CR 18.5%), respectively. Corticosteroids were withdrawn in 59.2% and 40.1%, and ruxolitinib in 47.2% and 34.8% in the acute and chronic groups of responders. Among 29 and 13 pediatric patients with acute and chronic GvHD, ORR was 82.7% (CR 51.7%) and 100% (CR 23%), respectively. Among responder patients, corticosteroids were withdrawn in 72.7% and 50%, and ruxolitinib in 75% and 30.7% in both groups respectively. Ruxolitinib in the real world setting, showed similar results as compared to clinical trials. Its efficacy is maintained in subsequent lines of treatment. In the pediatric population, the data are more favorable. In the long-term follow-up, corticosteroids, ruxolitinib and other inmunosuppressive drugs could be eliminated in a remarkably proportion of patients.

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Fig. 1: Number of patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs among responder patients in the adult and pediatric groups.
Fig. 2: Overall survival between responder and non-responder patients.
Fig. 3: Event-free survival.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This project has been carried out through the GETH-TC (Spanish Group for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy—Grupo Español de Trasplante Hematopoyético y Terapia Celular) and funded by Novartis.

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Contributions

VEG, VGG and JAPS contributed equally to this work. They were responsable for designing the review protocol, writing the protocol and report, conducting the research, screening potentially eligible candidates, collect data in the eCRF, extracting and analysing data, interpreting results and writing and review the paper. PAM, BAM, ACR, LLC, MAG, MKTO, ABB, LGP, TZR, MGV, AB, IIG, PAC, JM, FMMD, GO, DV, MIBC, CD-H, EC, CF, IGC, SR, LS, APM, AM, LGM, MDPPM, PAGS, MJ were responsable for screening potentially eligible candidates, collect data in the eCRF and review the paper. GETH-TC provided the electronic data base and served as an intermediary among investigators. Moreover, all the researchers belong to the aforementioned consortium.

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Correspondence to Valentín García Gutiérrez or Jose A. Perez-Simon.

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Competing interests

The study was funded by Novartis Company. VGG and GETH-TC received support from Novartis Company. The rest of the authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Escamilla-Gómez, V., García Gutiérrez, V., Alcalde-Mellado, P. et al. Ruxolitinib in acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease: real life long-term experience in a multi-center study for adult and pediatric patients, on behalf of the GETH-TC. Bone Marrow Transplant 60, 353–362 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-024-02483-0

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