Cyclophosphamide for Prevention of Graft-Versus-Host Disease After Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Hematological Malignancies

This phase II trial studies how well cyclophosphamide works in preventing chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant in patients with hematological malignancies. Giving chemotherapy and total-body irradiation before transplantation helps stop the growth of cancer cells and prevents the patient’s immune system from rejecting the donor’s stem cells. Healthy stem cells from a donor that are infused into the patient help the patient’s bone marrow make blood cells; red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Sometimes, however, the transplanted donor cells can cause an immune response against the body’s normal cells, which is called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Giving cyclophosphamide after transplant may prevent this from happening or may make chronic GVHD less severe.