GVHD characteristics at initial systemic treatment (N = 400)
| Characteristic . | No. (%) . |
|---|---|
| Median time from transplantation to initial systemic treatment, range, months | 6.8 (2.6-58) |
| Sites involved | |
| Skin | 302 (76) |
| Eyes | 115 (28) |
| Mouth | 363 (91) |
| Liver | 175 (44) |
| Gastrointestinal tract | |
| Upper only | 78 (20) |
| Any lower | 81 (20) |
| Lung | 14 (4) |
| Joint or fascia | 54 (14) |
| Genital tract | 29 (7) |
| No. of sites involved | |
| 1 or 2 | 136 (34) |
| 3 | 149 (37) |
| ≥4 | 115 (29) |
| NIH global score | |
| Moderate | 228 (57) |
| Severe | 172 (43) |
| Subcategory of chronic GVHD | |
| Classic | 45 (11) |
| Overlap | 355 (89) |
| Karnofsky score | |
| 80-100 | 260 (65) |
| <80 | 140 (35) |
| Platelet count | |
| <100 000/μL | 105 (26) |
| ≥100 000/μL | 295 (74) |
| Serum total bilirubin | |
| >2 mg/dL | 16 (4) |
| ≤2 mg/dL | 384 (96) |
| Progressive onset | 39 (10) |
| Prior grades II-IV acute GVHD | 296 (74) |
| Prednisone-equivalent steroid dose before onset of initial treatment | |
| None | 299 (75) |
| <0.5 mg/kg daily | 61 (15) |
| ≥0.5 but <1.0 mg/kg daily | 29 (7) |
| ≥1.0 mg/kg daily | 11 (3) |
| Initial treatment of chronic GVHD | |
| Prednisone ± CNI alone | 203 (51) |
| Prednisone + agents other than CNI | 136 (34) |
| MMF included | 96 (24) |
| Sirolimus included | 32 (8) |
| Other agents included* | 21 (5) |
| Treatment without prednisone | 61 (15) |
| CNI included | 55 (14) |
| MMF included | 11 (3) |
| Sirolimus included | 3 (< 1) |
| Other agents included† | 3 (< 1) |
| Prednisone-equivalent steroid dose used for initial treatment | |
| No prednisone | 61 (15) |
| <0.5 mg/kg/daily | 38 (10) |
| ≥0.5 but <1.0 mg/kg/daily | 105 (26) |
| 1.0 mg/kg/daily | 168 (42) |
| >1.0 mg/kg/daily | 28 (7) |
| Number of agents used for initial treatment of chronic GVHD | |
| 1 | 84 (21) |
| 2 | 216 (54) |
| ≥3 | 100 (25) |
| Characteristic . | No. (%) . |
|---|---|
| Median time from transplantation to initial systemic treatment, range, months | 6.8 (2.6-58) |
| Sites involved | |
| Skin | 302 (76) |
| Eyes | 115 (28) |
| Mouth | 363 (91) |
| Liver | 175 (44) |
| Gastrointestinal tract | |
| Upper only | 78 (20) |
| Any lower | 81 (20) |
| Lung | 14 (4) |
| Joint or fascia | 54 (14) |
| Genital tract | 29 (7) |
| No. of sites involved | |
| 1 or 2 | 136 (34) |
| 3 | 149 (37) |
| ≥4 | 115 (29) |
| NIH global score | |
| Moderate | 228 (57) |
| Severe | 172 (43) |
| Subcategory of chronic GVHD | |
| Classic | 45 (11) |
| Overlap | 355 (89) |
| Karnofsky score | |
| 80-100 | 260 (65) |
| <80 | 140 (35) |
| Platelet count | |
| <100 000/μL | 105 (26) |
| ≥100 000/μL | 295 (74) |
| Serum total bilirubin | |
| >2 mg/dL | 16 (4) |
| ≤2 mg/dL | 384 (96) |
| Progressive onset | 39 (10) |
| Prior grades II-IV acute GVHD | 296 (74) |
| Prednisone-equivalent steroid dose before onset of initial treatment | |
| None | 299 (75) |
| <0.5 mg/kg daily | 61 (15) |
| ≥0.5 but <1.0 mg/kg daily | 29 (7) |
| ≥1.0 mg/kg daily | 11 (3) |
| Initial treatment of chronic GVHD | |
| Prednisone ± CNI alone | 203 (51) |
| Prednisone + agents other than CNI | 136 (34) |
| MMF included | 96 (24) |
| Sirolimus included | 32 (8) |
| Other agents included* | 21 (5) |
| Treatment without prednisone | 61 (15) |
| CNI included | 55 (14) |
| MMF included | 11 (3) |
| Sirolimus included | 3 (< 1) |
| Other agents included† | 3 (< 1) |
| Prednisone-equivalent steroid dose used for initial treatment | |
| No prednisone | 61 (15) |
| <0.5 mg/kg/daily | 38 (10) |
| ≥0.5 but <1.0 mg/kg/daily | 105 (26) |
| 1.0 mg/kg/daily | 168 (42) |
| >1.0 mg/kg/daily | 28 (7) |
| Number of agents used for initial treatment of chronic GVHD | |
| 1 | 84 (21) |
| 2 | 216 (54) |
| ≥3 | 100 (25) |
CNI, calcineurin inhibitor; MMF, mycophenolate mofetil.
Other agents: extracorporeal photopheresis (n = 11), methotrexate (n = 5), rituximab (n = 1), thalidomide (n = 1), extracorporeal photopheresis and alemtuzumab (n = 1), infliximab (n = 1), and antithymocyte globulin (n = 1).
Other agents: extracorporeal photopheresis (n = 1), rituximab (n = 1), and thalidomide (n = 1).