Supportive Care Protocols

Supportive care protocols are studies that do not directly treat a patient’s main (transplanted) disease. Instead, they look at related issues treated at Lurie Children’s:

  • Complications of transplantation 
  • Infection control
  • Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) treatment
  • Individual variation in a drug’s actions on the body over a period of time

These studies include:  

ECP for Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD: This investigator-driven protocol studies the use of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) as a treatment for patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD. Learn more about this study.

Chronic GVHD Natural History Study: The study tracks children and adults with GVHD to see how their symptoms change over time and how to best track these changes in symptoms. Learn more about this study.

GVHD Interview Study: This investigator-driven study is open at a number of sites and has the goal of creating a more accurate way to measure symptoms of GHVD. Learn more about this study.

Prochymal: This investigator-driven study provides mesenchymal stem cells (Prochymal) to patients with steroid-refractory acute GVHD. Learn more about this study.

Defibrotide: This industry-sponsored study provides Defibrotide as a treatment for patients with veno-occlusive disease (VOD) with multiorgan failure. Learn more about this study.

Etanercept for IPS: This multisite protocol studies the use of Etanercept for the treatment of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome occurring after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Etanercept is given along with corticosteroids. Learn more about this study.