Active clinical trials for "Graft vs Host Disease"

This study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Prochymal® (Ex-vivo Cultured Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells) in participants experiencing treatment-refractory acute GVHD, Grades III-IV, that is refractory to standard first-line therapies and at least one second-line therapy.

A comparative trial where all patients will receive daily doses of tacrolimus (TAC) until day +60 when tapering will begin, in the absence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and discontinued by day +180. In addition patients will be randomized to methotrexate (MTX) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and again, in the absence of GVHD, a tapering schedule will begin on day +240 and be completed on day +360. Doses will be adjusted to maintain blood levels.

This phase II trial studies pentostatin and donor lymphocyte infusion in preventing graft rejection in patients who have undergone donor stem cell transplant. Giving pentostatin and an infusion of the donor's T cells (donor lymphocyte infusion) after a donor stem cell transplant may stop 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). Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving pentostatin before donor lymphocyte infusion may stop this from happening.

This is a multicenter trial through the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium. The Primary hypothesis of this study is that because of its effect as a potent immunosuppressive agent targeting lymphocytes, pentostatin will show a sustained response in pediatric subjects with severe chronic GVHD. Secondary hypotheses include that the infection and toxicity rate of pentostatin in this setting will be acceptable given its lack of severe myelosuppression, and subjects with refractory chronic GVHD will have significant QOL impairment and symptomatology. These may change as subjects are being treated for their chronic GVHD with pentostatin.

Twenty-four (2 x 12) patients with intestinal graft versus host disease (GVHD) Grades 2, 3 or 4 will be treated with budesonide 3mg three times daily or placebo for 12 weeks. All of the patients will receive cyclosporine and by mouth (po) prednisone or intravenous (IV) methylprednisone with a starting dose of 2mg/kg/day (standard anti-GVHD treatment). Doses of steroids will be decreased by approximately 10% or 10mg per week (depending upon patient's weight) upon response to therapy, defined as a decrease of volume of diarrhea by 50% per day, decrease in abdominal pain and no presence of bloody stool. Patients with Grades 3 or 4 will be withdrawn from the study if there is no response after one week of therapy. Patients with Grade 2 may continue with no decrease in prednisone dose until response is achieved.

The purpose of this study is to determine if rituximab is a safe and effective therapy for steroid-refractory chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD).

RATIONALE: Bone marrow that has been treated to remove certain white blood cells may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and may reduce the chance of developing graft-versus-host disease following bone marrow transplantation. PURPOSE: Phase IV trial to study the incidence of graft-versus-host disease in patients who have hematologic cancer and who are undergoing bone marrow transplantation from a donor.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage cancer cells. Umbilical cord blood transplantation may be able to replace cells destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and umbilical cord blood transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Umbilical cord blood transplantation may be able to replace cells destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer or other hematologic or metabolic diseases.

This is a clinical trial to see if the addition of etanercept to standard preventative medicines helps in preventing two major complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): decrease the rate of acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and the risk of death.