SynthesisFrontiers in immunology2025
The efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis in the treatment of steroid refractory acute graft-versus-host disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The 2026 definition of ruxolitinib refractoriness in severe acute GVHD.Bone marrow transplantation · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) is a significant complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) represents a key second-line option. Previous reviews have provided valuable insights, and recent studies allow for an updated synthesis of efficacy, safety, and patterns of ECP use in SR-aGVHD, including outcomes not fully analysed previously. This study aims to address the literature gap by providing a comprehensive updated review of the efficacy of ECP and its patterns of use in SR-aGVHD. Materials and methods: A Systematic literature search was conducted as per PRISMA guidelines, up to September 2024, using the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Studies investigating the use of ECP in the setting of chronic GVHD, GVHD prophylaxis, or first-line treatment of aGVHD were excluded. Meta-analyses using fixed and random effects models were employed to estimate the pooled effect sizes. Results: Thirty-eight studies, including a total of 1249 participants, were included, and 29 were included in the quantitative analyses. Most studies focused on the adult population, and the majority used a retrospective single-arm study design (n = 30). Overall, skin, gut, and liver response rates were 72%, 89%, 54%, and 36%, respectively. The pooled steroid-sparing percentage was 66%. ECP showed significantly higher survival in patients with grade 2 GVHD compared with grades 3 and 4 (HR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.67 - 3.29). ECP demonstrated a positive trend in overall survival compared to other treatments, but the results were not significant. Conclusion: This review indicates that ECP is an effective treatment for SR-aGVHD, with favorable response and survival outcomes. However, due to the heterogeneity observed in the analyses among the studies, more controlled trials are needed to establish its effects in combination with other agents and against other regimens. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024585471.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.