Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common side effect in people who receive cells from a donor (allogeneic transplant). It occurs when the transplanted cells recognize the recipient’s tissues as foreign and attack the tissues. GVHD can cause a variety of problems, including skin rashes, diarrhea, and less frequently, liver problems.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center has had a dedicated infrastructure for long-term transplant follow-up since the 1980s, and we are experts in treating people with GVHD. Our physicians have leading roles in the Consensus Conference on Clinical Practice in Chronic GVHD, and they help determine standard-of-care treatments in addition to designing and conducting clinical studies aimed at improving patient outcomes and preventing GVHD altogether.
GVHD Types
There are two types of GVHD:
- Acute GVHD happens in the first three months after a transplant.
- Chronic GVHD can develop any time between three months and three years after a transplant.
Both types of GVHD can range from mild to serious. Medications and other treatments that suppress the immune system are used to prevent and treat GVHD until the donor cells stop attacking—which they eventually do, sometimes within a few months but sometimes not for years.
GVHD Care
People who have chronic graft-versus-host disease may need evaluations or care several times a year to assess and help manage their condition. Our GVHD experts provide these services through our Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) Program, which offers lifelong support, including direct care, to people who have had a transplant. The LTFU team will schedule clinic visits and design a GVHD treatment plan for you based on your individual needs. Visits take place in the LTFU Clinic on the 6th floor of the Fred Hutch outpatient clinic on Lake Union.
Learn more about LTFU Program
New Research to Alleviate GVHD
Forty to 60 percent of allogeneic transplant recipients will get some form of GVHD. Thanks to clinical studies, a number of new drugs are available to treat it. Fred Hutch has several clinical studies in progress working on ways to eliminate GVHD as a concern.
Post-Transplant Chemotherapy to Prevent GVHD
Fred Hutch transplant physicians have found that chemotherapy given after the donor cells are infused can kill off some of the immune cells, called T-cells, that cause GVHD. The expected rate of chronic GVHD is 45 percent, but with high-dose chemotherapy Fred Hutch doctors can reduce the rate by half. They are also working to prevent GVHD by eliminating some T-cells from the donor cells before the cells are transplanted.
Statins to Reduce GVHD
A study going on at Fred Hutch uses statin drugs to reduce GVHD. These lipid-lowering drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect as well. Physicians have learned that if donors are taking statins before a transplant, the patient receiving the transplanted cells is much less likely to get severe, acute GVHD. Now Fred Hutch doctors are looking at giving statins to patients two weeks before transplant to see if this will reduce the aggressiveness of the T-cells, thus reducing the likelihood of GVHD.
