Treatment of Gastro-Intestinal and/or Hepatic Graft Versus Host Disease With Budesonide in Patients Following Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
Condition: Graft Vs Host Disease
MeSH terms: Graft vs Host Disease
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      Twenty-four (2 x 12) patients with intestinal graft versus host disease (GVHD) Grades 2, 3 or
      4 will be treated with budesonide 3mg three times daily or placebo for 12 weeks. All of the
      patients will receive cyclosporine and by mouth (po) prednisone or intravenous (IV)
      methylprednisone with a starting dose of 2mg/kg/day (standard anti-GVHD treatment). Doses of
      steroids will be decreased by approximately 10% or 10mg per week (depending upon patient's
      weight) upon response to therapy, defined as a decrease of volume of diarrhea by 50% per day,
      decrease in abdominal pain and no presence of bloody stool. Patients with Grades 3 or 4 will
      be withdrawn from the study if there is no response after one week of therapy. Patients with
      Grade 2 may continue with no decrease in prednisone dose until response is achieved.
    

Detailed description: 
      Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is one of the most common complications of bone marrow
      transplantation (BMT). Targets of GVHD are the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) liver and skin,
      causing severe diarrhea and mucosal aberration and hepatitis that can cause life threatening
      liver failure. As a result of the mucosal aberration and the general immuno-suppression,
      caused both by the GVHD process itself and by the anti GVHD therapy, these patients are
      highly susceptible for severe, life threatening infections that usually originate from the
      GIT. Systemic steroids are the backbone of anti GVHD therapy. However, in GVHD systemic
      steroids have to be administered for a prolonged duration and in high doses, thus causing
      prolonged immune suppression, and exposing the patients to steroid side effects such as
      hypertension, diabetes, cataract formation etc.

      Budesonide is a steroid that combines topical anti-inflammatory activity with high first-pass
      hepatic extraction. It was shown to be effective in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease
      with results slightly less then systemic steroids and fewer steroid-related adverse
      reactions. Except for its influence on the gut, budesonide was also shown to benefit
      inflammatory hepatic conditions such as primary biliary cirrhosis, liver transplantation and
      autoimmune hepatitis. Recently, it has been shown that budesonide is an effective treatment
      in acute GIT GVHD. The investigators propose to evaluate the effect of budesonide in GIT and
      hepatic GVHD with the following study.

      Patients:

      Twelve patients after allogenic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) with grade
      >= 2 GIT and/or hepatic GVHD will be prospectively compared to 12 placebo controls.

      Inclusion Criteria:

        -  Clinical and biopsy proven grade >/= 2 GIT AND/OR hepatic GVHD.

      Exclusion Criteria:

        -  Preventive antimicrobial treatment (with the exception of Resprim) or somatostatin in
           the GIT GVHD patients.

        -  Anti-GVHD treatment other then steroids (maximal dose ≤ 2 mg/kg methylprednisolone) and
           cyclosporine A or tacrolimus.

      Study Protocol:

      All patients will be assessed for GVHD scoring (organ and general) according to standard
      criteria and tested before inclusion for the following parameters -

        -  Colon and/or liver biopsy GVHD staging (including number of crypt abscesses).

        -  Liver function tests - blood albumin, AST, ALT, GGTP, Alk Phos, LDH, bilirubin,
           coagulation function, cholesterol.

        -  Stool - volume and frequency.

        -  Radiological - CT scan for mucosal edema, wall thickening and ascites.

        -  Kidney function tests - blood creatinine, creatinine clearance.

        -  Blood pressure.

        -  Fasting blood glucose. If normal - oral glucose tolerance test, glycosylated hemoglobin.

        -  Ophthalmologist evaluation for cataract formation and IOP.

        -  GIT absorption assessment - xylose absorption.

        -  Microbiological - stool culture and stool for CDT, CMV PCR, culture for CMV in blood and
           urine.

        -  Bone density - by ultrasound.

      After inclusion the patients will be treated with budesonide 9 or 15mg per day in divided
      doses or placebo. Other anti-GVHD treatment or ursodeoxycholic acid will not be withheld but
      tapering off will be tried.

      Study parameters:

        -  LFT, albumin, PT, cholesterol, renal function, stool volume and frequency, CMV culture
           and PCR, clinical GVHD staging - every 2 weeks.

        -  Xylose test - every month.

        -  Ophthalmologist evaluation, diabetes control and CT scan - every 3 months.

        -  GIT and/or liver biopsy for GVHD staging (including number of crypt abscesses) and CMV
           PCR, bone density - every 6 months

        -  Blood, urine and stool culture during every febrile episode.

      Study duration: 14 weeks.

      End points:

        -  Hospitalizations: due to GVHD and/or due to infections.

        -  Overall and GIT or hepatic GVHD staging.

        -  Time to response.

        -  Maximal daily diarrhea (volume and frequency).

        -  Weight.

        -  Liver function tests.

        -  Cataract formation and IOP.

        -  TNF level.

        -  Albumin.

        -  TPN consumption.

        -  Bone density.

        -  Hypertension.

        -  Diabetes - presence and control.

        -  Febrile episodes.

        -  Positive cultures.

        -  Days of antibiotic therapy.

        -  Survival.
    

Intervention name(s): Budesonide
Intervention type(s): Drug
Intervention MeSH terms: Budesonide
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Double
Primary purpose: Treatment