Understanding cGVHD
WHAT IS THE PATHOGENESIS OF cGVHD?
Chronic graft-versus-host disease is a complex multisystem disorder caused by an immune imbalance following an allogeneic HCT, which leads to serious and potentially life-threatening complications from both inflammatory and fibrotic processes. cGVHD is mediated by multiple immune pathways and is characterized by1
Early inflammation due to
tissue injury
Chronic inflammation and a
dysregulated adaptive
immune system
Tissue repair with fibrosis
Although the understanding of the pathophysiology of cGVHD is improving, there is still much to be uncovered about the nature of the inflammatory cascade and the complex dynamics of the inflammatory and fibrotic processes.
Improving comprehension of these manifestations could help in the development of more targeted treatments.
BTK, Bruton’s tyrosine kinase; cGVHD, chronic graft-versus-host disease; HCT, hematopoietic cell transplant; IL-2, interleukin 2; JAK, Janus-associated kinase; ROCK, rho-associated coiled-coil kinase.
Reference: 1. Zeiser R, Blazar BR. Pathophysiology of chronic graft-versus-host disease and therapeutic targets. N Engl J Med. 2017;377(26):2565-2579. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1703472
