Active clinical trials for "Graft vs Host Disease"

RATIONALE: Giving low doses of chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and melphalan, before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It also stops the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune cells and help destroy any remaining cancer cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). Giving an infusion of the donor's T cells (donor lymphocyte infusion) that have been treated in the laboratory after the transplant may help increase this effect. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving alemtuzumab before transplant and cyclosporine after transplant, may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying donor lymphocyte infusion after stem cell transplant in preventing cancer relapse or cancer progression in patients with follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

RATIONALE: Giving chemotherapy, such as fludarabine, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide, together with antithymocyte globulin before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells. Giving chemotherapy before or after transplant also stops the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune cells and help destroy any remaining cancer and abnormal cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil after the transplant may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well stem cell transplant works in treating patients with hematological cancer or other disorders.

Purpose : to evaluate the efficacy of ECP in children with refractory acute GVHD This study addresses patients with persistent GVHD after steroid and/or monoclonal antibody therapy

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of treating patients experiencing refractory acute graft-versus-host disease with ex-vivo-expanded BM-drived mesenchymal stem cells from third-party donors. The objective was to evaluate the effect and safety of such treatment on refractory acute graft-versus-host disease.

Phase 1/2 clinical study for the treatment of steroid-refractory chronic graft versus host disease after an allogeneic transplant of hematopoietic progenitors with donor CliniMACS-selected regulatory T cells

This study is a Phase 1, non-randomized, open-label/Phase 2 randomized, blinded study of ProTmune (ex vivo programmed mobilized peripheral blood cells) versus non-programmed mobilized peripheral blood cells for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in adult subjects aged 18 years and older with hematologic malignancies. A total of 88 study subjects were treated in the trial at approximately 15 centers in the US.

The purpose of this phase II study is to evaluate an investigational monoclonal antibody for the treatment of glucocorticoid-refractory Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD). Patients diagnosed with GVHD who have not responded satisfactorily to, or are intolerant of, treatment with standard agents will be considered for entry. Patients will be allowed to continue on their other immunosuppressive drugs at stable doses during the trial. The research is being conducted at up to 20 clinical research sites in the US.

Acute graft versus host-disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The incidence of grade II to IV acute GVHD ranges from 30 to 50% of the patients transplanted. Steroids remain the standard first line treatment for acute GVHD. Prolonged exposure to steroids is associated to increased risk of infections and of osteoporosis, osteonecrosis and alteration of growth in children. Thus, reducing steroid exposure in order to reduce treatment-related morbidity is another important goal in the management of standard risk aGVHD. Extracoporeal photopheresis (ECP) is active in controlling steroid refractory or dependent acute GVHD. Hypothesis: In this study, the team hypothesizes that addition of ECP to first line treatment with 2 mg/kg steroids of standard risk grade II aGVHD can reduce steroid exposure by increasing the probability of 6 month FFTF including absence of systemic steroids for chronic GVHD.

Bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients can develop graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious and potentially fatal complication. The researchers have developed a blood test to identify patients most at risk for developing severe GVHD. Patients who consent to this study will have their blood tested up to two times after BMT to determine if they are at high risk for severe GVHD. The tests will be performed one week and two weeks after BMT. Patients who are high risk will be treated with a drug called alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) to see if it prevents the development of severe GVHD. Patients will receive 16 doses of AAT through a catheter placed into a blood vessel over eight weeks. AAT will be given either in the hospital or the outpatient clinic two times per week. Patients will be followed for the development of severe GVHD for up to four months from the BMT and will continue to be followed at routine clinic visits for up to one year after BMT.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusion as Prevention for Graft Rejection and Graft-Versus-Host Disease After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation With Nonmyeloablative Conditioning from HLA-mismatched PBSC or cord blood: a Pilot Study