The use of ibrutinib before and after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Ibrutinib as bridge to allo-HSCT does not appear to affect the safety of the treatment in patients with CLL and MCL. Current evidence support further evaluation of ibrutinib for the treatment of relapsed CLL and MCL after allo-HSCT. In this setting, ibrutinib should be not only highly efficient on CLL and MCL cells but might also have the ability to enhance the activity of donor T cells. Chronic GVHD is the most common long-term complication following allo-HSCT. Results from a phase 2 clinical trial culminated in the FDA-approval of ibrutinib as second-line therapy of steroid-refractory or steroidresistant chronic GVHD. A randomized, controlled trial in patients with chronic GVHD should be performed.