Ruxolitinib Based GVHD Prophylaxis Regimen Before, During, and After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Older Adult Patients With Acquired Aplastic Anemia

This phase II trial tests how well a ruxolitinib-based graft versus host disease (GVHD) prevention (prophylaxis) regimen works before, during, and after bone marrow/stem cell transplantation (hematopoietic cell transplantation \[HCT\]) in patients with acquired aplastic anemia. Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a condition in which the bone marrow is unable to produce blood cells. Affected patients typically present with infections due to abnormally low number of neutrophils, bleeding due to low platelet count, and/or fatigue due to a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells (anemia). Its incidence varies with age, occurring most frequently in patients aged 2-5 years, 20-25 years, and 55 years and older. Treatment of AA includes either immunosuppressive therapy (IST) or bone marrow/stem cell transplantation (HCT) with first-line therapy in younger adults often being HCT, while adults over 40 still frequently trial IST first due to the morbidity and mortality concerns with HCT. GVHD is a common complication after donor stem cell transplantation, resulting from donor immune cells recognizing recipients' cells and attacking them. Ruxolitinib, a drug in a class of oral medications called JAK inhibitors has been approved for the treatment of acute and chronic GVHD. It has also been shown to decrease GVHD when used in the prevention setting in patients with myelofibrosis. The current study aims to assess whether adding ruxolitinib to a standard GVHD prevention regimen may reduce the risk of Grade II-IV acute and chronic GVHD after bone marrow/stem cell transplantation in older patients with acquired aplastic anemia.