Over forty years ago, D. Ralph, E.D. Thomas and colleagues (1) reported a clinical syndrome of new onset severe airflow obstruction in association with chronic graft-versus-host disease in four young patients who had received marrow transplants for leukemia in Seattle, Washington. Lung biopsies revealed obliterative bronchiolitis, the fibrotic occlusion of small airways. Patients experienced debilitating breathlessness; treatment with corticosteroids did not provide objective benefit. Today, even in the era of improved prophylaxis and FDA-approved treatments for chronic GVHD, this original description of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome - BOS - remains eerily cogent: we still do not have a cure for this highly morbid lung complication.
The impetus for a conference dedicated to lung GVHD arose out of a collective recognition that BOS is often diagnosed too late in its course for effective intervention. Since the landmark 2005 and 2014 NIH Chronic GVHD Consensus Conferences, our understanding of BOS and other potential forms of lung GVHD has grown, necessitating an updated clinical definition that would encourage early detection and treatment. Our ongoing discussions towards this update highlight how much we still need to learn about underlying disease processes and how to restore lung function.
To that end, we have convened critical mass of experts across the disciplines of pulmonary medicine, transplant hematology, immunology, infectious diseases, radiology, and statistical science, to review the current knowledge base and identify new avenues for investigation. Our goals in Geneva are i) to synthesize our understanding of lung GVHD disease pathogenesis, ii) update the definition of lung GVHD, and iii) establish an ideal clinical trial design for lung GVHD. Central to this conference is the critical work of the Lung GVHD Consensus Project Task Force: to propose an evidence-based revision of the NIH diagnostic criteria for lung GVHD that applies across the lifespan. We hope that this will promote rigorous clinical investigation, and more importantly, benefit HCT recipients around the world.
With the expanding global reach of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, understanding lung GVHD is more relevant than ever. We look forward to sharing three days of learning, insight, and fellowship that will extend beyond Geneva.
The Scientific Steering Committee
Anne Bergeron (Switzerland)
Daniel Wolff (Germany)
Joe Hsu (USA)
Sophie Paczesny (USA)
Corey Cutler (USA)
Steven Pavletic (USA/Croatia)
Guang-Shing Cheng (USA)
(1) Ralph D et al. Am Rev Resp Dis 1984;129:641-644
What: The International Lung GVHD Consensus Conference 2026
When: 23-25 September 2026
Where: Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland (9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Genève)