Resolution of psoriasis following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We describe a case of a 49-year-old man with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) whose coincidental psoriasis resolved following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The patient had suffered from psoriasis for 20 years and was treated with corticosteroid ointment. He was diagnosed as having CML in 1998, and his psoriasis deteriorated following interferon therapy. In March 1999, he received a BMT from an HLA-identical sister after undergoing a conditioning regimen involving busulfan, cytosine arabinoside, and cyclophosphamide. Prophylaxis of acute graft-versus-host disease was done using short-term methotrexate and cyclosporin A. His psoriasis improved immediately and disappeared completely on day 70 after BMT. For 2.5 years, his CML remains in remission and he is free of psoriasis without undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. This case suggests the potential benefits of the treatment of immune-mediated diseases with allogeneic BMT. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.