What should supportive care look like for patients with chronic GvHD?

During the GvHD Hub Steering Committee meeting in November 2022, key opinion leaders met to discuss what supportive care should look like for patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

The recorded discussion was chaired by Professor Amin Alousi (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, US) and featured Mutlu Arat (Istanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, TR), Ali Bazarbachi (American University of Beirut, Beirut, LB), Hildegard Greinix (Medical University of Graz, Graz, AT), and Attilio Olivieri (Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, IT).

Professor Alousi opens by highlighting the importance of supportive care in GvHD and the challenges in ensuring this is delivered effectively. This discussion focusses on the side effects and adverse events associated with GvHD treatments, including those that may have a negative impact on a patient’s quality of life.

The steering committee members discuss the need for a multidisciplinary approach to GvHD treatment through communication with other healthcare professionals (HCPs). For example, mental health professionals, pharmacists, and ophthalmologists may all be involved in the treatment of a patient with GvHD depending on the manifestation of the disease. The discussion concludes that cross-functional collaboration of HCPs may have a positive impact on quality of life and requires further research.