Ruxolitinib Used to Prevent GVHD Throughout Stem Cell Transplantation
David S. Snyder, MD, discusses using ruxolitinib to prevent patients receiving stem cell transplantation from developing graft versus host disease.
David S. Snyder, MD, associate director, City of Hope Cancer Center, discusses using ruxolitinib (Jakafi) to prevent patients receiving stem cell transplantation from developing graft versus host disease (GVHD).
GVHD is an immune reaction where the donor's T lymphocytes recognize minor antigen differences on the surface of the cells of the patient and try to react against them, Snyder explains. The graph tries to reject the patient instead of the patient rejecting the graph. Acute GVHD is when the reaction occurs within 100 days after transplant whereas chronic GVHD is when the reaction occurs after 100 days.
