Histopathologic Diagnosis of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: II. Pathology Working Group Report

Hepatic GVHD. A, Late onset of acute GVHD, day 123. The expanded portal space contains a mixed infiltrate of lymphocytes and scattered eosinophils. The interlobular bile duct shows destructive changes of GVHD with infiltration by lymphocytes, segmental loss of nuclei, cytoplasmic vacuolization, and nuclear dyspolarity. Ductular proliferation at the margins of the portal space also shows some features of GVHD (original magnification, ×250). B, Refractory chronic GVHD, day 556. Interlobular bile ducts have a characteristic withered appearance with dyspolarity, dropout of nuclei, nuclear enlargement, anisonucleosis, infiltrating lymphocytes, and eosinophilia of the cytoplasm. The fibrotic portal space contains scattered lymphoid cells, and periportal hepatocytes show changes of chronic cholestasis with cytoplasmic ballooning (original magnification, ×250). C, Refractory untreated chronic GVHD, day 350. Portal spaces have marked ductopenia with a loss of bile ducts, a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, and fibrosis with focal bridging (not shown; original magnification, ×250).

Gastrointestinal GVHD. A, Persistent GVHD in the colon, day 87. The colonic biopsy specimen has numerous contiguous apoptotic changes (arrows; original magnification, ×250). B, Late acute GVHD in the stomach, day 133. The biopsy sample shows pronounced lymphocytic and prominent eosinophilic infiltration with destruction of gastric antral glands and formation of crypt abscesses (original magnification, ×250).

Progression of histologic changes from acute to chronic cutaneous GVHD. A, Screening skin biopsy, day 85. A focal apoptotic body formation is present at the tips of rete ridges (arrow) with focal surrounding lymphocytic satellitosis (original magnification, ×400). B, Lichen planus–like chronic GVHD, day 426. The thickened epidermis displays orthokeratosis, hypergranulosis, and acanthosis. The striking lichenoid reaction along the damaged basal layer includes a prominent lymphocytic inflammation and infiltration, apoptotic changes, loss of rete ridges, and prominence of the superficial vascularity (original magnification, ×100). C, Progression of GVHD from panel A into a sclerotic stage, day 382. A zone of dense, relatively avascular homogenized collagen has replaced the papillary and upper reticular dermis (original magnification, ×63). D, High-power view shows a hyperkeratotic epidermis with flattening of the rete ridges, vacuolar changes, and lymphocytic infiltration along the basal layer, with disruption of the epidermal melanin unit and with coarse clumps of melanin in the epidermis and incontinent melanin pigment in the sclerotic papillary dermis (original magnification, ×160).

Morpheic GVHD lesion, day 607. A, Low power shows a thickened dermis with sclerotic widening of the lower reticular dermis and fascia (original magnification, ×20). B, The epidermis shows activity of GVHD with scattered apoptotic bodies. Note that the papillary dermis is not sclerotic, in contrast to the deep dermis and fascia in panel D (original magnification, ×400). C, Syringitis: eccrine coils are infiltrated by lymphocytes with a loss of adjacent fat tissue replaced by fibrous tissue (original magnification, ×200). D, Interface of the reticular dermis and the fascia shows fasciitis with fibrous thickening of the septa, lymphocytic panniculitis, and formation of lymphoid follicles (original magnification, ×63).

Oral GVHD. A, Oral mucosal biopsy sample, day 75. This view shows lymphocytic infiltrate along the basal layer of the mucosa (original magnification, ×160). B, High-powered view shows apoptotic changes along the tip of a rete ridge (arrow; original magnification, ×400). C, Minor salivary gland, day 364. Early lobular involvement shows focal periductal lymphocytic infiltrates with minimal loss of acinar tissue (original magnification, ×63). D, High-powered view of an intralobular duct with marked lymphocytic infiltration, cytoplasmic vacuolization, and focal destruction of the ductular epithelium (original magnification, ×160).

Pulmonary GVHD with obliterative bronchiolitis: lung biopsy specimen, day 194. A small airway shows constriction of the bronchiole lumen by a subepithelial expansion of fibrous tissue. A lymphocytic infiltrate surrounds the outer bronchiole smooth muscle layer (original magnification, ×250; photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Hackman, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center).