Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Chronic graft versus host disease presenting as lichen planus pigmentosus

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 53, pages 1048–1050 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) is a frequent and severe complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). According to the National Institutes of Health, diagnostic clinical features of cGVHD include poikiloderma, lichen planus-like eruption, deep sclerotic features, morphea-like superficial sclerotic features and lichen sclerosus-like lesions [1].

Lichen planus pigmentosus (LPP) is an uncommon variant of lichen planus, mainly described in India and the Middle East. This cosmetically distressing pigmentary disorder is characterised by large hyperpigmented patches in sun-exposed areas or in the folds. Histological features of LPP include vacuolar degeneration of the basal cell layer and pigment incontinence in the dermis [2, 3]. Therapeutic options of LPP include topical corticosteroids, topical tacrolimus, depigmenting creams, isotretinoin and dapsone [4, 5].

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

References

  1. Jagasia MH, Greinix HT, Arora M, Williams KM, Wolff D, Cowen EW, et al. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: I. The 2014 Diagnosis and Staging Working Group Report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015;21:389–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ghosh A, Coondoo A. Lichen planus pigmentosus: the controversial consensus. Indian J Dermatol. 2016;61:482–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Sehgal VN, Verma P, Bhattacharya SN, Sharma S, Rasool F. Lichen planus pigmentosus. Skinmed. 2013;11:96–103.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Del Pozo J, Garcia-Silva J, Yebra-Pimentel MT. Chronic graft-versus-host disease presenting as bullous lesions. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2008;99:803–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Weinberg JL, Rosenbach M, Kim EJ, Kovarik CL. Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus-like graft-versus-host disease post stem cell transplant. Dermatol Online J. 2009;15:4.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Wolff D, Schleuning M, von Harsdorf S, Bacher U, Gerbitz A, Stadler M, et al. Consensus conference on clinical practice in chronic GVHD: second-line treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011;17:1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Verma P, Pandhi D. Topical tacrolimus and oral dapsone combination regimen in lichen planus pigmentosus. Skinmed. 2015;13:351–4.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Muthu SK, Narang T, Saikia UN, Kanwar AJ, Parsad D, Dogra S. Low-dose oral isotretinoin therapy in lichen planus pigmentosus: an open-label non-randomized prospective pilot study. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55:1048–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Shulman HM, Cardona DM, Greenson JK, Hingorani S, Horn T, Huber E, et al. NIH Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: II. The 2014 Pathology Working Group Report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015;21:589–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Creamer D, Martyn-Simmons CL, Osborne G, Kenyon M, Salisbury JR, et al. Eczematoid graft-vs-host disease: a novel form of chronic cutaneous graft-vs-host disease and its response to psoralen–UV-A therapy. Arch Dermatol. 2007;143:1157–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Al-Mutairi N, El-Khalawany M. Clinicopathological characteristics of lichen planus pigmentosus and its response to tacrolimus ointment: an open label, non-randomized, prospective study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2010;24:535–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Tschen JA, Tschen EA, McGavran MH. Erythema dyschromicum perstans. J Am AcadDermatol. 1980;2:295–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Berger RS, Hayes TJ, Dixon SL. Erythema dyschromicum perstans and lichen planus: are they related? J Am Acad Dermatol. 1989;21(2 Pt 2):438–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Robles-Méndez JC, Rizo-Frías P, Herz-Ruelas ME, Pandya AG, Ocampo Candiani J. Lichen planus pigmentosus and its variants: review and update. Int J Dermatol. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.13806. [Epub ahead of print].

  15. Aractingi S, Janin A, Devergie A, Bourges M, Socie G, Gluckman E. Histochemical and ultrastructural study of diffuse melanoderma after bone marrow transplantation. Br J Dermatol. 1996;134:325–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Dermatologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France

    Pauline Tétu, Marie Jachiet, Adèle de Masson, Charlotte Hurabielle, Michel Rybojad, Martine Bagot & Jean-David Bouaziz

  2. Université Paris Diderot-Paris VII, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France

    Adèle de Masson, Charlotte Hurabielle, David Michonneau, Régis Peffault de Latour, Flore Sicre de Fontbrune, Martine Bagot, Gérard Socié & Jean-David Bouaziz

  3. INSERM U976, Laboratory of Oncodermatology, Immunology and Cutaneous Stem Cells, Hôpital Saint-Louis, F-75010, Paris, France

    Adèle de Masson, Charlotte Hurabielle, Martine Bagot & Jean-David Bouaziz

  4. Service d’Hématologie-Greffes, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, F-75010, Paris, France

    David Michonneau, Régis Peffault de Latour, Flore Sicre de Fontbrune & Gérard Socié

  5. INSERM UMRS 1160, Hôpital Saint-Louis, F-75010, Paris, France

    David Michonneau, Flore Sicre de Fontbrune & Gérard Socié

  6. Service d’anatomopathologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, F-75010, Paris, France

    Maxime Battistella & Jacqueline Rivet

Authors
  1. Pauline Tétu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marie Jachiet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Adèle de Masson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Charlotte Hurabielle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michel Rybojad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. David Michonneau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Maxime Battistella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jacqueline Rivet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Régis Peffault de Latour
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Flore Sicre de Fontbrune
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Martine Bagot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Gérard Socié
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Jean-David Bouaziz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-David Bouaziz.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Gérard Socié and Jean-David Bouaziz contributed equally to this work.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tétu, P., Jachiet, M., de Masson, A. et al. Chronic graft versus host disease presenting as lichen planus pigmentosus. Bone Marrow Transplant 53, 1048–1050 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-018-0110-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-018-0110-z

Search

Advanced search

Quick links