Chronic GvHD NIH Consensus Project Biology Task Force: evolving path to personalized treatment of chronic GvHD
Nataliya P. Buxbaum, Gèrard Socié, Geoffrey R. Hill, Kelli P. A. MacDonald, Victor Tkachev, Takanori Teshima, Stephanie J. Lee, Jerome Ritz, Stefanie Sarantopoulos, Leo Luznik, Defu Zeng, Sophie Paczesny, Paul J. Martin, Steven Z. Pavletic, Kirk R. Schultz, Bruce R. Blazar
Abstract
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) remains a prominent barrier to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantion as the leading cause of nonrelapse mortality and significant morbidity. Tremendous progress has been achieved in both the understanding of pathophysiology and the development of new therapies for cGvHD. Although our field has historically approached treatment from an empiric position, research performed at the bedside and bench has elucidated some of the complex pathophysiology of cGvHD. From the clinical perspective, there is significant variability of disease manifestations between individual patients, pointing to diverse biological underpinnings. Capitalizing on progress made to date, the field is now focused on establishing personalized approaches to treatment. The intent of this article is to concisely review recent knowledge gained and formulate a path toward patient-specific cGvHD therapy.