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Research Article: Genital GVHD in Female Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Case Reports and Case Series

Date Published: 2023-08-28

Abstract:
Genital graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an underdiagnosed manifestation of chronic GVHD. Few articles have been published in pediatric populations, and there are no established guidelines for the management of this condition in children. This study aims to provide a systematic literature review of the published studies and cases of genital (vulvovaginal) GVHD in girls and adolescents post HSCT, with a focus on the time of diagnosis and clinical manifestations. The authors searched for English-language articles published after 1990, which included full patient details. Thirty-two cases of female patients under 20 years of age were identified. The median time of diagnosis was 381 days (IQR: 226–730 days), and 83% of patients developed Grade 3 vulvovaginal GVHD. Based on these observations, an early pediatric gynecologic examination of these patients, soon within the first year after HSCT, could be suggested for early diagnosis, treatment initiation and prevention of long-term complications.

Introduction:
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an established curative treatment for an increasing number of patients with life-threatening hematological, oncological, hereditary and immunological diseases, with more indications continuously being added. A stem cell source for transplantation can be bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood (PB), or umbilical cord blood (CB) [1]. Children who have undergone HSCT are surviving much longer than in past decades and are therefore facing long-term sequelae that can involve…

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