Guidelines for chronic lung disease after stem cell transplantation
International guidelines published under Freiburg leadership / Better quality of life thanks to uniform treatment standards / European and American specialist societies define new therapeutic approaches
After a stem cell transplant, for example as part of leukemia therapy, life-threatening chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) occurs again and again. In this case, the donor immune cells attack the recipient's body. Particularly when the lungs are affected, the quality of life of those affected is severely restricted and the disease is difficult to cure. To counteract these complications, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) have now published international guidelines for the treatment of lung cGvHD. These were developed with the significant involvement of experts from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and offer standardized procedures to improve patient care. The guideline was published in the European Respiratory Journal on March 28, 2024.
"Chronic pulmonary GvHD is a serious and often life-threatening disease that can significantly affect the quality of life of our patients. With the new guidelines, we now offer clear guidance based on the latest scientific findings and enable us to significantly improve treatment outcomes," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Daiana Stolz, Medical Director of the Department of Pneumology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and co-senior author of the guidelines.
The recommendations include the use of inhaled therapies and systemic treatments as well as the option of lung transplantation in severe cases. Of particular note are innovative approaches already being used in Freiburg, such as extracorporeal photopheresis, and newly approved drugs such as ruxolitinib and belumosudil, which have been developed specifically for this type of lung disease. The new guidelines also lay the foundation for future research projects aimed at further refining the therapies and increasing their efficacy and safety.
Original title of the publication: ERS/EBMT clinical practice guidelines on treatment of pulmonary chronic graft-versus-host disease in adults.
DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01727-2023
Link to the study:https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/63/3/2301727.long
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