Blood test could help kids avoid harmful steroid side effects after transplant

NCT ID NCT05090384

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether a blood test (GVHD biomarkers) can help doctors safely reduce steroid doses in children with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after a bone marrow transplant. Fifty children with newly diagnosed GVHD received prednisone, and those with low biomarker levels and good clinical response had their steroids tapered quickly. The goal was to see if this approach could maintain treatment success while reducing short- and long-term steroid side effects like infections, bone damage, and growth problems.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Prednisone

What this could lead to

If successful, this approach could reduce steroid side effects in children with GVHD while maintaining treatment effectiveness.

What could go wrong

This is a small Phase 2 trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to all children. The biomarker test may not accurately predict who can safely taper steroids.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

acute graft versus host disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Boston Children's Hospital Dana Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

  • Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, California, 90027, United States

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

  • Children's National Hospital

    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20010, United States

  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

    New York, New York, 10029, United States

  • Medical College of Wisconsin / Children's Wisconsin

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    New York, New York, 10065, United States

  • Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

  • The Hospital for Sick Children

    Toronto, Ontario, M5S, Canada

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37235, United States