Severe intestinal graft versus host disease after donor lymphocyte infusion; response to extracorporeal photochemotherapy

Transfus Apher Sci. 2005 Oct;33(2):129-33. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2005.03.010.

Abstract

We present a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia who developed severe acute intestinal graft versus host disease (GVHD) after donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) following non-myeloablative allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (allo-PBCT). One month after DLI, patient developed severe abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea without any signs or symptoms of the skin and liver GVHD. Treatment with steroid, cyclosporine A, tacrolimus and mycophenolat mofetil were not effective in controlling intestinal symptoms. Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), a recently used procedure in the treatment of GVHD was employed periodically and the symptoms subsided gradually. Acute GVHD after DLI may occur severely and atypically, but being limited to the intestine has rarely been reported.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Diarrhea / etiology
  • Diarrhea / pathology
  • Diarrhea / therapy
  • Graft vs Host Disease / etiology
  • Graft vs Host Disease / pathology
  • Graft vs Host Disease / therapy*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* / methods
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Diseases / etiology
  • Intestinal Diseases / pathology
  • Intestinal Diseases / therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / complications
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / therapy*
  • Lymphocyte Transfusion* / methods
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Photopheresis* / methods
  • Transplantation, Homologous