Low-Dose Prednisone or Methylprednisolone in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease

OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine whether a lower starting dose of prednisone for treatment of newly diagnosed
acute GVHD results in decreased prednisone exposure without compromising overall survival.

II. To estimate the magnitude of clinical benefit associated with the reduction in
prednisone exposure.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

ARM I (Low-dose; prednisone-equivalent dose at initiation of treatment of 0.5 mg/kg/day or
1.0 mg/kg/day; stratified according to initial symptom severity): Patients receive low-dose
prednisone or methylprednisolone once or twice daily in the absence of disease progression
or unacceptable toxicity.

ARM II (Standard-dose; prednisone-equivalent dose at initiation of treatment of 1.0
mg/kg/day or 2.0 mg/kg/day; stratified according to initial symptom severity): Patients
receive standard-dose prednisone or methylprednisolone once or twice daily in the absence of
disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1 year and then annually
thereafter.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients with newly diagnosed acute GVHD (>= grade IIa) for whom, in the judgment of
the attending physician, initial treatment with systemic glucocorticoids is indicated

- Patient or guardian able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

- Hallmarks of chronic GVHD

- GVHD after donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI)

- Patient unwilling to remain in Seattle under the care of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center (FHCRC)/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) through day 42 after the
start of treatment for GVHD

- Uncontrolled infection or other underlying comorbidity (i.e. severe psychiatric
illness) that precludes the use of "standard-dose" prednisone

- Recent diagnosis of recurrent or progressive malignancy that precludes the use of
"standard-dose" prednisone

- Any prior systemic therapy for acute GVHD (Patients may receive up to 2 doses of
low-dose prednisone prior to randomization; low-dose prednisone is defined as 0.5
mg/kg/dose for patients who present with grade IIa GVHD and 1 mg/kg/dose for those
who present with grade IIb-IV GVHD)

- Enrollment on Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT-CTN) trial
0802