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Melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation offers long-term repigmentation for vitiligo, leukodermas
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Patients with vitiligo and other leukodermas experienced long-term repigmentation up to 72 months after treatment with a melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, according to recently published study results in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Iltefat H. Hamzavi, MD, of the dermatology department at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of electronic records of 100 patients with vitiligo or other leukodermas who underwent melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP) between January 2009 and April 2014.
A 5-point grading scale and Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) were used to measure repigmentation.
There were 117 MKTPs performed on 236 anatomically based legions (ABLs), with many patients undergoing treatment of multiple ABLs during a single session. There were 63 patients with 157 ABLs and 75 MKTPs with long-term data available (12-72 months; median, 24 months).
Improvement in VASI score was recorded for segmental vitiligo (–75.6 ± 24.6%), nonsegmental vitiligo (–59.2 ± 36.6%) and physical leukoderma (–32.4 ± 33.5%).
In the evaluation of short-term vs. long-term repigmentation, 62% to 76% of ABLs had additional repigmentation after 6 months, which was considered short-term. Repigmentation was greater than 75% at 24, 48 and 72 months after MKTP in 53%, 64% and 53% of ABL, respectively.
In 59 MKTP cases, good color match was noted in 65% of cases, with hyperpigmentation noted in 27% of cases, hypopigmentation noted in 5% of cases and erythema noted in 3% of cases.
There was no significant effect on outcome based on skin phototype, age and anatomic location of ABLs.
“MKTP is an excellent option for achieving long-term repigmentation in patients with vitiligo and other leukodermas,” the researchers concluded. “Although the majority of the MKTP repigmentation occurs within the first 6 months, additional repigmentation can develop and persist until 72 months.” – by Bruce Thiel
Disclosure: Silpa-Archa reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.