Platelet gel is highly effective in treating muco-cutaneous lesions related to graft-versus-host disease

Background: Platelet (PLT) gel has been successfully used in tissue regeneration of diabetic/surgical wounds through the releasing of growth factors such as bFGF and PDGF. There- fore, the PLT gel could represent a therapeutic tool in treating the deep and painful wounds occurring during Graft-versus- Host Disease (GVHD). Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy and safety of PLT gel for treating muco-cutaneous GVHD ulcers. Allogeneic hemocomponents were used to obtain PLT gel with Vivostat System. Ten patients with multiple lesions involving dermis (grade I, n=2), subcutaneous or oral mucosa (grade II, n=8) related to acute or chronic GVHD, underwent PLT gel as local therapy. Results: After the second PLT gel application, the pain disap- peared in all cases and the granulation tissue was observed in all patients with grade II lesions. After a median of 6.5 PLT gel applications (range, 1-12), 9 of 10 patients riched a complete response, while 1 patient showed a partial response at time of death because of multi-organ failure. No side effect was docu- mented. Conclusion: These results confirm our previous data mainly related to the treatment of GVHD skin wounds, hampering the use of PLT gel as effective tool also in the management of oral mucosa lesions frequently associated with chronic GVHD.