Trial Outcomes & Findings for Pediatric GVHD Low Risk Steroid Taper Trial (NCT NCT05090384)

NCT ID: NCT05090384

Last Updated: 2026-05-08

Results Overview

Number of participants who were responders. Responders are patients with low-risk GVHD (Minnesota standard risk/Ann Arbor 1) who are in CR, VGPR or PR on day 28 and whose cumulative prednisone (or other steroid equivalent) exposure during the first four weeks of treatment is ≤13.5 mg/kg and who have had no intervening additional GVHD therapy for those in CR or VGPR. Complete Response (CR): All evaluable organs (skin, liver, GI tract) stage 0. Very Good Partial Response (VGPR): Any response that approximates a CR with the exception of rash \<25% body surface area. Partial Response (PR): An improvement in one or more organ involved with GVHD symptoms without worsening in others.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE2

Target enrollment

50 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

study day 28

Results posted on

2026-05-08

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Steroid Taper
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Overall Study
STARTED
50
Overall Study
COMPLETED
44
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
6

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Steroid Taper
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
1
Overall Study
Death
5

Baseline Characteristics

Pediatric GVHD Low Risk Steroid Taper Trial

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
2 Participants
n=41 Participants
Age, Continuous
11 years
n=41 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
24 Participants
n=41 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
26 Participants
n=41 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
16 Participants
n=41 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
27 Participants
n=41 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
7 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
10 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
28 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
3 Participants
n=41 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
7 Participants
n=41 Participants
Diagnosis
Acute Leukemia
24 Participants
n=41 Participants
Diagnosis
Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MDS/MPN)
4 Participants
n=41 Participants
Diagnosis
Non-Malignant
22 Participants
n=41 Participants
Donor
HLA Matched Related
6 Participants
n=41 Participants
Donor
HLA Mismatched Related
12 Participants
n=41 Participants
Donor
HLA Matched Unrelated
12 Participants
n=41 Participants
Donor
HLA Mismatched Unrelated
20 Participants
n=41 Participants
Conditioning Regimen
Full
37 Participants
n=41 Participants
Conditioning Regimen
Reduced
13 Participants
n=41 Participants
Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) used
Yes
29 Participants
n=41 Participants
Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) used
No
21 Participants
n=41 Participants
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) Prophylaxis
CNI/MTX (+/- Other)
14 Participants
n=41 Participants
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) Prophylaxis
CNI/MMF (+/- Other)
16 Participants
n=41 Participants
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) Prophylaxis
CNI +/- Steroids
3 Participants
n=41 Participants
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) Prophylaxis
Cyclophosphamide based
9 Participants
n=41 Participants
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) Prophylaxis
T-cell depletion
8 Participants
n=41 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: study day 28

Number of participants who were responders. Responders are patients with low-risk GVHD (Minnesota standard risk/Ann Arbor 1) who are in CR, VGPR or PR on day 28 and whose cumulative prednisone (or other steroid equivalent) exposure during the first four weeks of treatment is ≤13.5 mg/kg and who have had no intervening additional GVHD therapy for those in CR or VGPR. Complete Response (CR): All evaluable organs (skin, liver, GI tract) stage 0. Very Good Partial Response (VGPR): Any response that approximates a CR with the exception of rash \<25% body surface area. Partial Response (PR): An improvement in one or more organ involved with GVHD symptoms without worsening in others.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Who Were Responders (CR, VGPR, or PR) on Day 28 With Low Cumulative Steroid Exposure
41 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: study day 28

Number of participants who achieve a treatment response by day 28 of treatment. Treatment responses are defined as complete response (CR), very good partial response (VGPR), or partial response (PR). For a response to be scored as CR, VGPR, or PR on day 28, the patient must be in response on day 28 and have had no intervening systemic therapy for acute GVHD other than steroids.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Who Achieved a Treatment Response by Day 28
43 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: study day 90

Number of patients who develop serious infections (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic) Serious infections are defined using the standardized criteria widely used for clinical trials at academic BMT centers, such as life-threatening fungal infections or hemorrhagic cystitis from BK viral infection and include clinically significant CMV infections that require anti-viral treatment regardless of end-organ damage, given the toxicity of such treatments. Serious infections include any viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections that requires systemic treatment.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Who Developed Serious Infection
15 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 6 months

Overall survival assessed by number of participants alive at 6 months OS is defined as the time from the first dose of study treatment to the date of death (whatever the cause).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Alive at 6 Months
47 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 12 months

Overall survival at 12 months OS is defined as the time from the first dose of study treatment to the date of death (whatever the cause).

Outcome measures

Outcome data not reported

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 6 months

Number of Participants who had NRM at 6 months Survival will be tracked during the study, any deaths will be collected. Any death that occurs after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) not attributable to relapse of the underlying disease will be considered a non-relapse death.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Who Had Non-Relapse Mortality (NRM) at 6 Months
3 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 12 months

Cumulative incidence of NRM at 12 months Survival will be tracked during the study, any deaths will be collected. Any death that occurs after HCT not attributable to relapse of the underlying disease will be considered a non-relapse death.

Outcome measures

Outcome data not reported

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 6 months

Number of participants who relapsed of the underlying malignancy at 6 months.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Number of Participants Who Relapsed at 6 Months
2 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 12 months

Relapse rate at 12 months Relapse, including date of relapse, of the underlying malignancy will be reported.

Outcome measures

Outcome data not reported

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 12 months

Cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD requiring systemic steroid treatment by one year from enrollment

Outcome measures

Outcome data not reported

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: study day 28

Cumulative steroid dose at day 28 Steroid drug and dose is collected weekly for the first 4 weeks of study.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Cumulative Steroid Dose at Study Day 28
11.9 mg/kg
Standard Error 1.4

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: study day 90

Cumulative steroid dose at day 90 Steroid drug and dose is collected weekly for the first 4 weeks of study, and bi-weekly through study day 90.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 Participants
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Cumulative Steroid Dose at Study Day 90
14.2 mg/kg
Standard Error 3.7

Adverse Events

Steroid Taper

Serious events: 20 serious events
Other events: 8 other events
Deaths: 5 deaths

Serious adverse events

Serious adverse events
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 participants at risk
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Infections and Infestations
Lung Infection
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders
Hyponatremia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Vomiting
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Infections and Infestations - Other
4.0%
2/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders
Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Nervous System Disorders
Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Sepsis
4.0%
2/50 • 1 year
Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders
Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders - Other
6.0%
3/50 • 1 year
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders
Febrile Neutropenia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Enterocolitis Infectious
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Viremia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Vascular Disorders
Vascular Disorders - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders
Dehydration
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Upper Respiratory Infection
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Cardiac Disorders
Cardiac Disroders - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Alanine Aminotransferase Increased
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Vascular Disorders
Hypotension
4.0%
2/50 • 1 year
General Disorders
Fever
6.0%
3/50 • 1 year
Infections and Infestations
Bacteremia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders
Respiratory Failure
6.0%
3/50 • 1 year
Immune System Disorders
Immune System Disorders - Other
4.0%
2/50 • 1 year

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
Steroid Taper
n=50 participants at risk
All enrolled patients start on the same dose of steroids for treatment of GVHD, blood samples are taken at week 1 and 2 post study start and biomarkers plus clinical response determines how steroid treatment is continued Prednisone: Prednisone starting dose of 0.5 mg/kg; for patients who respond clinically and continue to have low biomarkers will be tapered rapidly; those that are not clinically responding or whose biomarkers increase will be treated per their treating physicians plan or by standard of care
Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders
Anemia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Alanine Aminotransferase Increased
4.0%
2/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Platelet Count Decreased
8.0%
4/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Lymphocyte Count Decreased
10.0%
5/50 • 1 year
Investigations
White Blood Cell Decreased
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Aspartate Aminotransferase Increased
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Neutrophil Count Decreased
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and nutrition disorders
Hyponatremia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Infections and infestations
Infections and Infestations - Other
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Investigations
Blood Bilirubin Increased
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and nutrition disorders
Hypocalcemia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year
Metabolism and nutrition disorders
Hypokalemia
2.0%
1/50 • 1 year

Additional Information

Dr. John E. Levine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Phone: (212) 241-3429

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place