Atypical manifestations of graft-versus-host disease.

Background: Cutaneous graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is classically described as morbilliform when acute and lichen planus-like or sclerotic when chronic. In addition to these well-known clinical forms, there are many other presentations of GVHD that are important to recognize. As the number of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation increases and the survival after transplantation improves, the prevalence of GVHD is expected to rise, and its various presentations will be increasingly encountered in clinical practice.

Objective: We sought to report unusual manifestations of skin GVHD and provide a summary of typical and atypical presentations of GVHD reported in the literature.

Methods: Patients with stem cell transplantation who developed unusual eruptions after transplantation had biopsy specimens taken to evaluate for histopathologic evidence of GVHD.

Results: Six patients presented with unusual cases of biopsy-proven GVHD, including follicular hyperkeratosis, thick-appearing white tongue, inverse pityriasis rosea-like, and eczema craquelé-like GVHD.

Limitations: This study is limited by case number.

Conclusions: Because of the high rate of cutaneous involvement with GVHD, the accessibility of the skin for diagnosis, and the morbidity associated with severe or long-standing skin involvement, it is important for dermatologists to recognize and accurately diagnose cutaneous GVHD in all its protean manifestations.