Ruxolitinib for ciltacabtagene autoleucel–associated refractory diarrhea

V Viktoria Blumenberg (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) F Filippo Birocchi A Angela Shih G Giulia Escobar A Adele Mucci A Alexander Armstrong D Diana Cirstea (3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) D Deshea L. Harris (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) D David J. Bozym (3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) B Benjamin R. Puliafito (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) R Richard Newcomb (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) T Tejaswini M. Dhawale (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) P Patrick C. Johnson (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) A Areej El-Jawahri (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) R Richard Jeffrey (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) A Alexis L. Barselau (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) A Alex Li E Estelle Emmanuel-Alejandro (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) D Daniella Cook (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) K Kevin Lindell (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) S Samantha O. Luk (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) R Ryan Chaffee A Andrew J. Yee (Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston) A Andrew Branagan (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) N Noopur Raje (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) C Charlotte E. Graham (4Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom) S Sarah P. Hammond (3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) F Frederic D. Bushman (Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) A Aoife M. Roche (Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) S Shantan Reddy (Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) A Alexander G. McFarland (6Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA) Y Yi-Bin Chen (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) B Bryan D. Choi C Christopher W. Mount (2Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) M Michael Dougan (8Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) V Valentina Nardi (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States) A Aliyah R. Sohani (2Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) K Kathleen M. E. Gallagher (1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) M Marcela V. Maus M Matthew J. Frigault (3Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA) M Mark B. Leick

Abstract

Abstract Intractable diarrhea is a recently described complication following B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma with reported mortality rates of 36% to 50%. The optimal clinical management is unknown. Here, we report a series of 5 patients who presented with severe diarrhea after BCMA CAR T-cell treatment. We hypothesized that the Janus kinase inhibitor, ruxolitinib, might be an effective therapy based on its success in graft-versus-host-disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplant and other immune-driven diarrhea syndromes. Three patients received ruxolitinib, all of whom experienced rapid clinical improvement. Among the 2 patients with matched pretreatment and posttreatment biopsies, both showed signs of histopathologic response, including 1 with CAR T-cell–associated indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Article Details

Journal Blood
Volume / Issue Vol. 147, Issue 19
Published May 07, 2026
Pages 2215-2225
ISSN 0006-4971
Publisher Elsevier BV

Journal Info

Blood

Elsevier BV

ISSN: 0006-4971 Health Sciences

Authors (41)

V

Viktoria Blumenberg

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

F

Filippo Birocchi

A

Angela Shih

G

Giulia Escobar

A

Adele Mucci

A

Alexander Armstrong

D

Diana Cirstea

3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

D

Deshea L. Harris

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

D

David J. Bozym

3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

B

Benjamin R. Puliafito

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

R

Richard Newcomb

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

T

Tejaswini M. Dhawale

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

P

Patrick C. Johnson

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

A

Areej El-Jawahri

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

R

Richard Jeffrey

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

A

Alexis L. Barselau

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

A

Alex Li

E

Estelle Emmanuel-Alejandro

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

D

Daniella Cook

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

K

Kevin Lindell

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

S

Samantha O. Luk

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

R

Ryan Chaffee

A

Andrew J. Yee

Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston

A

Andrew Branagan

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

N

Noopur Raje

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

C

Charlotte E. Graham

4Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

S

Sarah P. Hammond

3Hematology and Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

F

Frederic D. Bushman

Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

A

Aoife M. Roche

Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

S

Shantan Reddy

Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

A

Alexander G. McFarland

6Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Y

Yi-Bin Chen

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

B

Bryan D. Choi

C

Christopher W. Mount

2Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

M

Michael Dougan

8Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

V

Valentina Nardi

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States

A

Aliyah R. Sohani

2Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

K

Kathleen M. E. Gallagher

1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

M

Marcela V. Maus

M

Matthew J. Frigault

3Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

M

Mark B. Leick