Pediatric and Young Adult Vulvovaginal Graft-versus-Host Disease

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is increasingly used to treat both malignant and non-malignant conditions. Allogeneic HSCT is associated with a 30-70% incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), causing significant morbidity and mortality for these patients.1 Vulvovaginal GVHD was first described in adult women, and is thought to be a subtype of chronic GVHD based largely on the histologic appearance of the affected tissue.2, 3 The incidence of vulvovaginal GVHD has been reported to be 3-49%, but the true incidence is unknown and is thought to be severely underestimated.

Source: Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation - July 16, 2019 Category: Hematology Authors: Stephanie M. Cizek, Javier El-Bietar, Jeremy Rubinstein, Christopher Dandoy, Gregory H. Wallace, Adam Nelson, Pooja Khandelwal, Kasiani C. Myers, Holly R. Hoefgen Source Type: research