Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a severe, life threatening complication from getting a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. It is caused by certain cells from the donor that attack your cells. The usual treatments, prednisone and cyclosporine, don't work very well in chronic GVHD. This research is being done to determine if the combination of the chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive, drugs pentostatin, cyclophosphamide and the monoclonal antibody rituximab, used as in the "PCR" combination will prove useful in the treatment of certain patients with chronic GvHD (namely those who are unlikely to respond to standard therapy).
As above, your chronic GvHD either has not responded to, or is not expected to, respond to standard immunosuppressive treatment for chronic GvHD. These standard treatments are given in relatively low doses over long intervals. Thus, in this study we are testing an alternate strategy, using a more intensive, combined therapy with the PCR combination to determine if it will improve outcomes. PENTOSTATIN, CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE plus RITUXIMAB ("PCR") are FDA-approved drugs for chemotherapy of certain lymphomas/leukemias, and although each has been used separately to treat patients with chronic GvHD, they have not been approved as immunosuppressant for the treatment of chronic GvHD, either separately or together. We will study the "PCR" combination in 9-17 patients with chronic GvHD who are refractory to, or not expected to respond to standard therapy. Response will be measured by the achievement of a documented complete remission (i.e., full resolution of all symptoms and signs), and thus, a shortening of the total duration of immunosuppressive (anti-chronic GvHD) therapy. This latter effect may reduce overall infections.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Pentostatin 2mg/m2 IV day+1 (up to 6 cycles) Cyclophosphamide 600mg/m2 IV day+1 (up to 6 cycles) Rituximab 375mg/m2 IV day+1 (up to 6 cycles)
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, United States
Determine whether complete response rate following use of PCR regimen exceeds 25% in selected (for poor prognosis) chronic GvHD patients.
Time frame: One year
Assess the ability to successfully wean patients from all immunosuppressive therapy following complete response.
Time frame: One year
Describe the incidence, frequency and type of all observed opportunistic infections.
Time frame: One year
Describe the pattern of immune recovery in these patients
Time frame: One year
Assess the incidence, frequency and type of hematologic dysfunction before and after therapy.
Time frame: One year
Assess the incidence of relapse (of the underlying malignant diagnosis for which the allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant was performed), progression-free and overall survival.
Time frame: One year
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