Allo-HSCT is an effective treatment of malignant hematopoietic diseases. However, aGVHD remains a major complication after allo-HSCT and the destruction of recipient tissues by alloantigen-activated T cells is a key event in the development of aGVHD. Corticosteroid is the standard first-line therapy for aGVHD due to their roles in suppressing T cell responses. However, the response rate of corticosteroid was approximate 50%, and the clinical outcomes of patients with corticosteroid refractory GVHD were poor. Thus far, no combination therapy had been prove to be superior to corticosteroid alone as initial therapy for aGVHD. The study hypothesis: MTX combined corticosteroid treatment could help to further ameliorate the activity of T cells and control aGVHD.
The aim of the study is to identify the efficacy and safety of methotrexate (MTX) combined corticosteroid treatment for grade III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).