» Articles » PMID: 34081805

Limited Utility of Plasma Elafin As a Biomarker for Skin Graft-versus-host Disease Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Overview
Specialty Dermatology
Date 2021 Jun 3
PMID 34081805
Citations 5
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Background: Acute cutaneous graft-versus-host disease (acGVHD) following haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is common but difficult to distinguish from other causes of rash. Plasma elafin has been proposed as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of skin GVHD.

Aim: To evaluate the role of plasma elafin as a biomarker in acGVHD in an Indian population.

Methods: Plasma elafin was evaluated in a prospective study of HSCT recipients, conducted over 2 years, taking measurements at baseline and at onset of skin rash after HSCT. Patients were categorized into those with GVHD rash, those with non-GVHD rash and those with no rash and the three groups were compared.

Results: Two hundred and sixty-one patients with a median age of 16 years (range 1-61 years) and a male predominance (175 : 86 M/F) underwent HSCT during the study period: 56 patients in the GVHD group, 49 in the non-GVHD group and 156 in the no-rash group. The median baseline elafin was similar in all three groups. At the onset of rash, median elafin level was similar between GVHD and non-GVHD rash (34 549 vs. 32 077 pg/mL; P = 0.58) and between GVHD and no rash (34 549 vs. 26 197 pg/mL; P = 0.08). A rise in elafin from baseline was significantly different between GVHD and no rash (P < 0.001) but not between GVHD and non-GVHD rash (P = 0.44).

Conclusion: The utility of plasma elafin as a biomarker of skin GVHD is very limited. Plasma elafin, although elevated in cutaneous GVHD, is not helpful in distinguishing between GVHD rash and other causes of rash following HSCT.

Citing Articles

Unlocking protein-based biomarker potential for graft-versus-host disease following allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

Iacobescu M, Pop C, Uifalean A, Mogosan C, Cenariu D, Zdrenghea M Front Immunol. 2024; 15:1327035.

PMID: 38433830 PMC: 10904603. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1327035.


Biomarkers for early complications post hematopoietic cell transplantation: Insights and challenges.

Balakrishnan B, Kulkarni U, Pai A, Stallon Illangeswaran R, Mohanan E, Mathews V Front Immunol. 2023; 14:1100306.

PMID: 36817455 PMC: 9932777. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1100306.


Current Definitions and Clinical Implications of Biomarkers in Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Bidgoli A, DePriest B, Saatloo M, Jiang H, Fu D, Paczesny S Transplant Cell Ther. 2022; 28(10):657-666.

PMID: 35830932 PMC: 9547856. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2022.07.008.


Decreased Plasma Level of Cytokeratin 20 (KRT20) Is Indicative of the Emergence and Severity of Acute GvHD Irrespective to the Type of Organ Involvement.

Lupsa N, Szegedi A, Gezsi A, Vuncs Z, Masszi T, Mikala G Biomedicines. 2022; 10(3).

PMID: 35327321 PMC: 8945709. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030519.


Evaluation of Elafin as a Prognostic Biomarker in Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Zewde M, Morales G, Gandhi I, Ozbek U, Aguayo-Hiraldo P, Ayuk F Transplant Cell Ther. 2021; 27(12):988.e1-988.e7.

PMID: 34474163 PMC: 8671218. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2021.08.021.