Ultraviolet B irradiation: A new therapeutic concept for the management of oral manifestations of graft-versus-host disease

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics Vol. 88; no. 4; pp. 444 - 450
• Main Authors: Elad, Sharon, Garfunkel, Adi A., Enk, Claes D., Galili, Dan, Or, Reuven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis, MO Mosby, Inc 01.10.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Chronic Disease; Dentistry; Diseases of the upper aerodigestive tract; Ent and stomatology; Female; Graft vs Host Disease - complications; Graft vs Host Disease - radiotherapy; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mouth Diseases - etiology; Mouth Diseases - radiotherapy; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pilot Projects; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Ultraviolet Therapy - instrumentation; Ultraviolet Therapy - methods; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Human; Immunopathology; Stomatology; Graft versus host reaction; Male; Phototherapy; Case study; Oral cavity; Treatment; Ultraviolet irradiation; Young adult; Adult; Female; Oral cavity disease; Lesion
• ISSN: 1079-2104; 1528-395X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1079-2104(99)70059-4

Ultraviolet irradiation inhibits the proliferative responses of lymphoid cells to mitogens and alloantigens by inactivation of T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Its immunosuppressive capacity led to the introduction of UV irradiation into clinical practice for the treatment of dermatologic manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease. The cumulative experience with psoralen–UV-A rays in the treatment of cutaneous and oral graft-versus-host disease was the incentive for the application of oral UV-B rays in 2 patients with oral graft-versus-host disease signs and symptoms after allogeneic marrow transplantation. Intraoral UV-B irradiation (0.02 mJ/cm 2) was administered 2 or 3 times per week on an ambulatory basis; the dose was increased by 0.02 mJ/cm 2 every fourth session. Both patients responded early and satisfactorily, displaying only minimal side effects at a relatively low cumulative dose. Intraoral UV-B proved a valuable modality in the treatment of resistant chronic oral graft-versus-host disease. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 1999;88:444-50)