What is standard treatment for initial diagnosis of chronic GVHD requiring systemic treatment?
Treatment with daily prednisone should begin as soon as possible after diagnosis of chronic GVHD. In general, treatment with cyclosporine or tacrolimus should also be continued if you were taking one of these medications before the onset of chronic GVHD. Treatment should continue at the initial dose of prednisone until there is improvement in the chronic GVHD symptoms. At that point, the doctor will recommend a schedule to slowly decrease or “taper” the dose over time. If there is no improvement after two months of treatment with prednisone then additional immunosuppressive medications may be needed. Additional treatment should begin sooner if chronic GVHD symptoms progress.
