Supportive care protocols

Supportive care protocols are those studies that do not directly treat a patient’s main (transplanted) disease. They instead look at related issues like complications of transplantation,  infection control, Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) treatment, and individual variation in pharmacokinetics (a drug’s actions on the body over a period of time). These studies include:   

ECP for Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD

• This investigator-driven protocol studies the use of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) as a treatment for patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD.

Chronic GVHD Natural History Study

• This study involves patients at a number of different hospitals. The study tracks children and adults with GVHD to see how their symptoms change over time and how to best track these changes in symptoms.

GVHD Interview Study

• This investigator-driven study is open at a number of sites, and has the goal of creating a new, more accurate way to measure symptoms of GHVD.

Prochymal

• This investigator-driven study provides mesenchymal stem cells (Prochymal) to patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD.

Defibrotide

• This industry-sponsored study provides Defibrotide as a treatment for patients with veno-occlusive disease (VOD) with multi-organ failure. 

Etanercept for IPS   

• This multi-site protocol studies the use of Etanercept for the treatment of Ideopathic Pneumonia Syndrome occurring after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Etanercept is given along with corticosteroids.