Chronic Graft-versus-host Disease, Part 2: Clinical Success and Roadmap to the Future

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is an immune-mediated, heterogeneous, multiorgan complication affecting allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and decline in health-related quality-of-life. Advances in understanding the complex disease pathophysiology, and collaborative efforts lead by the National Institutes of Health to standardize criteria for clinical trials, led to bench-to-bedside efforts resulting in the development of 4 US Food and Drug Administration-approved agents for the treatment steroids-refractory cGVHD since 2017. Despite the remarkable advances in the field of hematopoietic cell transplantation in prevention of cGVHD, and more treatment options, the outcome of patients with moderate-severe cGVHD remains suboptimal. Essential to successful cGVHD management is to recognize the disease at early stages before the onset of irreversible damage, allowing for personalized multidisciplinary specialized interventions that include pharmacologic therapies and additional supportive care measures. The aim of this review is to summarize key areas of active clinical research and new developments in cGVHD therapeutic approaches, with focus on (1) preemptive therapy, (2) upfront therapy beyond corticosteroids, (3) treatment refractory cGVHD novel agents, role of combination therapies, and organ-specific approaches, and (4) challenges, gaps, and future directions.