Remission of psoriasis after allogeneic, but not autologous, hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation

Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) has emerged as an effective immunotherapy for several severe autoimmune diseases. A comprehensive search of the existing literature was performed for patients with psoriasis and HSCT. Nineteen patients have been reported to have psoriasis resolution after allogeneic or autologous HSCT. In the allogeneic setting, 10 of 13 were noted to have durable remission of their psoriasis with a mean follow-up of 49 months. Two cases that did reoccur were only transient. Six patients underwent autologous transplantation. Of these, 5 of 6 developed a recurrence of their psoriasis within 2 years. Based on a limited number of patients, psoriasis is likely to remit after allogeneic HSCT, but it is likely to recur after autologous HSCT. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2013;68:489-92.)