Inpatient Management of Mucocutaneous GVHD

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is an immune mediated disorder affecting 30 - 70% of patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), and is a major cause of morbidity and non-relapse mortality (NRM) [1]. Dermatologists play a critical role in acute and chronic GVHD, as skin involvement is common and often the earliest involved site of disease [2].

GVHD shares clinical and histopathological features with a variety of other skin diseases, requiring thorough consideration of differential diagnoses in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients with lesions suggestive of cutaneous GVHD. Treatment considerations for GVHD are influenced by factors such as disease classification, overall grading, organ involvement, associated symptoms, and immunological anti-tumor effect. Several treatments are available and may be indicated as monotherapy or adjuvant therapy to allow faster withdrawal or tapering of immunosuppression. While corticosteroids are often first line therapy, oral ruxolitinib has been recently approved for treatment of steroid-refractory aGHVD, and oral ibrutinib has been approved for steroid-refractory cGHVD.

This article provides current clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations relevant to the hospitalist for both acute and chronic mucocutaneous GVHD. Optimal inpatient management of these diseases requires an interdisciplinary team.