Merrill Samuel A, Spaner Caroline, Chen Luke Y C
Classical Hematology, Department of Oncology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Br J Haematol. 2025 Jan;206(1):391-393. doi: 10.1111/bjh.19864. Epub 2024 Oct 27.
Fang et al. report a retrospective analysis of paediatric patients with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) associated with autoimmune/autoinflammatory disorders treated with ruxolitinib. Responses were impressive and rapid, and ruxolitinib was well tolerated. This study demonstrates that a subset of patients with HLH can be treated with JAK inhibition without the need for cytotoxic chemotherapy. Further work will be needed to better define patient selection for therapy, as some patient groups and HLH triggers, such as malignancy-associated HLH, may be better suited for etoposide-based therapy. Commentary on: Fang et al. Ruxolitinib-based regimen in children with autoimmune disease or autoinflammatory disease related hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Br J Haematol 2025; 206:215-223.
