Successful treatment of steroid-refractory gastrointestinal GVHD with ruxolitinib in a patient after autologous stem cell transplantation: a case report.

INTRODUCTION

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious immune reaction that usually occurs after allogenic stem cell transplants and can affect organs, such as skin, gastrointestinal (GI) system, and liver. The development of GVHD after autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) is rarely observed and only a few cases have been reported in the literature.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 21-year-old patient who underwent auto-SCT for neurofibromatosis type 1 developed severe GI-GVHD confirmed by histopathology. She responded inadequately to systemic corticosteroids, indicating steroid-refractory disease. Subsequent addition of the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib resulted in rapid clinical improvement.

CONCLUSION

This clinical case scenario suggests that ruxolitinib could be a treatment option in rare cases of GVHD following auto-SCT.