Opinion
Video
Belumosudil for Treatment of Chronic GVHD
The expert panel explores belumosudil's role in treating chronic GVHD after multiple systemic therapy lines. They discuss the ROCKstar trial, highlighting its overall response rates and real-world experiences.
This is a video synopsis of a discussion involving Dr Yi-Bin Chen, Director of the Transplant and Cell Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Dr Corey Cutler, Director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Dr Mitchell Horwitz, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Duke University, and Dr Hannah Choe, Assistant Professor and Director of the Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD) program at Ohio State University.
The panelists explore the agent belumosudil, which is approved for treating chronic GVHD after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
Dr Corey Cutler provides insights into the ROCKstar trial, the pivotal study for belumosudil’s approval. This real-world trial included patients with advanced and sclerotic chronic GVHD, many of whom had prior exposure to ruxolitinib or ibrutinib. The randomized phase 2 study tested two doses of belumosudil against a placebo or best available care control. Results showed an impressive overall response rate of about 75%, with no significant differences between once and twice-daily dosing.
Dr Mitchell Horwitz and Dr Corey Cutler share their positive experiences with belumosudil in the real-world setting. They highlight its oral administration, ease of patient acceptance, and generally tolerable side effect profile. The discussion emphasizes belumosudil's effectiveness in stubborn and advanced cases of chronic GVHD, with responses seen even in patients previously treated with other agents.
Dr Hannah Choe adds that at her institution, belumosudil is frequently used in combination with ruxolitinib, showing responses in patients refractory to previous therapies. The panelists acknowledge the need for more extended follow-up to establish the long-term response rates and effectiveness of belumosudil in diverse patient populations.
The conversation underscores the importance of belumosudil as a valuable addition to the armamentarium for chronic GVHD, providing a promising option for patients who have exhausted other systemic therapies.
Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by OncLive® editorial staff.
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