Chemotherapy drug is effective against graft-versus-host disease, data show

The results of a Phase 3 trial could give hope to the many cancer patients who depend on bone marrow transplants to help restore their weakened immune systems. Although these transplants can be helpful, cancer patients often have to deal with graft-versus-host disease, in which the newly injected cells turn on the patient's body and cause severe symptoms. In the 309-person trial, scientists tested the chemotherapy drug ruxolitinib in approximately half of those enrolled, who had a specific type of graft-versus-host disease. After 28 days, 62% of those who received the drug showed an improvement in symptoms of their disease compared to only 39% of those in the control arm who experienced a similar improvement taking any of nine drugs commonly used to treat GVHD. Ruxolitinib's success in the trial confirms what many oncologists have anecdotally known about the drug's benefit for years, writes STAT's Meghana Keshavan. STAT Plus subscribers can read more here.