Genomic instability after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is frequent in oral mucosa, particularly in patients with a history of chronic graft-versus-host disease, and rare in nasal mucosa.

Genomic instability (GI) of cells may lead to their malignant transformation. Carcinoma after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) frequently involves some (eg, oral) but not other (eg, nasal) epithelia. We examined GI in oral and nasal mucosal specimens from 105 subjects, including short-term (7-98 days, n = 32) and long-term (4-22 yrs, n = 25) allogeneic HCT survivors. Controls included autologous HCT survivors (n = 11), patients treated with chemotherapy without HCT (n = 9) and healthy controls (n = 27). GI was detected in 60% oral versus only 4% nasal specimens in long-term allogeneic HCT survivors (P < .001). None of the controls showed GI. In oral specimens, GI was significantly associated with history of oral chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). We conclude that GI after HCT is frequent in some (oral) but rare in other (nasal) epithelia. This may explain why some epithelia (especially those involved with cGVHD) are prone to develop cancer.