Extracorporeal photopheresis: a useful therapy for patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease but not for the prevention of the chronic form

Background Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been used successfully to treat severe steroid-refractory acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD, cGVHD) since the late 1990s. Objectives To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy and safety of ECP in patients with aGVHD. We also assessed whether ECP may play a role in the prevention of cGVHD. Patients and methods Nine consecutive patients with allografts with aGVHD grade II-III, as defined by consensus criteria, and refractory to steroids, were treated with ECP. ECP was started at a median interval of 463days (range 10-70) from aGVHD onset. Patients were treated initially on two consecutive days (one cycle) at 1-week intervals until improvement and then every 2weeks. Treatment was then tapered off individually. To evaluate statistical relationships with outcome after 30, 60 and 90days of ECP, all clinical and historical variables of the patients before treatment were analysed. Results All patients survived and responded within 90days. The average aGVHD score was 172 at aGVHD onset, 244 when ECP was started and then gradually declined to 044 on day 90. At the same time, the average dose of methylprednisolone declined from 222mgkg(-1) to 027mgkg(-1) (day 90), while the average dose of ciclosporin declined from 246mgkg(-1) to 077mgkg(-1) (day 90). Six of nine patients showed a complete skin response after 90days of treatment. All patients with liver and gastrointestinal tract involvement had complete responses after 90days, apart from one patient. All our patients developed cGVHD, seven of nine while still on maintenance regimen (6-13months after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, HSCT) and the other two patients after suspension of ECP (6 and 9months after HSCT). Conclusions ECP is effective in patients with mild to moderate steroid-refractory aGVHD (grade II-III). On the other hand, ECP did not prevent the development of cGVHD in our patients.