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Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is observed in more than half of all patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The clinical manifestations of cGVHD (skin rash, dry eyes, mouth ulcers, dysphagia, diarrhea, and musculoskeletal pain) are often unresponsive to treatment with corticosteroids. Suppressing autoreactive lymphocytes by increasing the numbers of regulatory T (Treg) cells might ameliorate this condition.
To find out, investigators conducted a phase I trial of interleukin (IL)-2, an agent known to augment Treg cells, in 29 patients with active cGVHD refractory to glucocorticoids. The cGVHD had been present for a median of 803 days (range, 117–2624), and the median number of sites involved was thr…