Basiliximab treatment of severe GVHD induced by donor lymphocyte infusion with interferon-a.

The development of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) in recipients of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is not rare and the complication is quite often fatal. We describe a severe skin GVHD patient who responded well to basiliximab. A 20-year-old male who received a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at his age of 18. His fusion gene Aml1/Eto remained positive, so he was administered with DLI combined with interferon-a (IFN-a). Forty days after the therapy, he presented with severe skin rashes with multiple mucous membrane involvement. The skin and mucous lesions recovered after basiliximab treatment. So far, severe type of erythema multiforme in GVHD patients after DLI with IFN-a injection is firstly reported here, together with a new alternative therapy.