Vedolizumab for second-line treatment of steroid-refractory gastrointestinal late acute graft-versus-host disease.

Background: Late acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with little data regarding treatment and outcomes. There is no standard treatment for gastrointestinal (GI) late aGVHD, especially for steroid-refractory (SR) GI late aGVHD. Vedolizumab, a monoclonal antibody inhibiting the migration of both naive and activated lymphocytes into the GI endothelium, has been verified to be effective for SR GI aGVHD.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical efficacy and safety of vedolizumab as the second line for SR GI late aGVHD in seven patients after allo-HSCT.

Results: Four patients received two doses of vedolizumab infusion, while three patients received only one dose of vedolizumab infusion. The complete response and partial response rates were 57.1% (4/7) and 42.9% (3/7), respectively. No patient progressed to chronic GVHD during the period of follow-up. There was no severe adverse event related to vedolizumab.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that vedolizumab is expected to ameliorate SR GI late aGVHD. Further data on the treatment timing, efficacy, and safety of vedolizumab are warranted in prospective clinical trials.