New drug combo may reduce transplant complications in blood cancer patients

This study tested whether adding the drug itacitinib to standard medications (tacrolimus and sirolimus) could help prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in 59 people with blood cancers like leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome who received a donor stem cell transplant. GVHD occurs when donor immune cells attack the patient's body. The goal was to see if the new combination is safe and improves outcomes, such as survival without relapse or severe GVHD.