Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 11;13(4):5415-5425.
doi: 10.18632/aging.202472. Epub 2021 Feb 11.

A retrospective study of long term follow-up of 2283 vitiligo patients treated by autologous, non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation

Dimin Zhang  1 , Xiaodong Wei  1 , Weisong Hong  1 , Lifang Fu  1 , Guopei Qian  1 , Ai-E Xu  1
Affiliations

A retrospective study of long term follow-up of 2283 vitiligo patients treated by autologous, non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation

Dimin Zhang et al. Aging (Albany NY). .

Abstract

Background: Autologous non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation (MKTP) can be used to treat stable vitiligo cases, but there were insufficient clinical data to evaluate its safety and efficacy.

Objective: To assess the influence of various factors on the therapeutic outcome of MKTP.

Method: The single-center retrospective study included stable vitiligo patients who underwent MKTP between June 2009 and June 2018. Univariate and/or multivariable analysis were used to determine the factors affecting the outcome of repigmentation.

Result: The study comprised 2283 patients who had long-term follow-up data (12-108months). Excellent repigmentation was achieved in 400/606 (66%),788/1341 (58.8%),437/684 (63.9%),18/24 (75%) patients with segmental vitiligo, pre-MKTP phototherapy, younger than 24 years, the lesion on the perineum and scrotum, respectively. However, the patients with a positive family history, Koebner phenomenon responded worse(χ2=29.417, P<0.001; χ2=107.397, P<0.001; respectively). Overall, a significant positive correlation between duration of stability and percentage of repigmentation was found (χ2=42.053, P<0. 001).

Conclusion: MKTP is efficient and well tolerated for stable vitiligo treatment. Various factors such as duration of disease stability, vitiligo type, family history, site of lesion should be carefully assessed before using MKTP, as it would further improve the post-operative repigmentation.

Keywords: non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation; vitiligo.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A 20-year old woman with segmental vitiligo on the face and neck. (A) Before surgery. A 20-year old woman with segmental vitiligo on the face and neck. (B) Six months after autologous non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP). A 20-year old woman with segmental vitiligo on the face and neck. (C) Twelve months after MKTP with a repigmentation of 100%.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A 28-year old woman with non-segmental vitiligo on the abdomen. (A) Before surgery. A 28-year old woman with non-segmental vitiligo on the abdomen. (B) Three months after autologous non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure(MKTP). A 28-year old woman with non-segmental vitiligo on the abdomen. (C) Six months after MKTP with a regimentation of 98%. A 28-year old woman with non-segmental vitiligo on the abdomen. (D) Twelve months after MKTP with a repigmentation of 98%.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A 29-year old man with non-segmental vitiligo on the back of hand. (A) Before surgery. A 29-year old man with non-segmental vitiligo on the back of hand. (B) Two years after autologous non-cultured melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Frisoli ML, Essien K, Harris JE. Vitiligo: mechanisms of pathogenesis and treatment. Annu Rev Immunol. 2020; 38:621–48. 10.1146/annurev-immunol-100919-023531 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Spritz RA, Andersen GH. Genetics of vitiligo. Dermatol Clin. 2017; 35:245–55. 10.1016/j.det.2016.11.013 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Speeckaert R, van Geel N. Vitiligo: an update on pathophysiology and treatment options. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2017; 18:733–44. 10.1007/s40257-017-0298-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barbulescu CC, Goldstein NB, Roop DR, Norris DA, Birlea SA. Harnessing the power of regenerative therapy for vitiligo and alopecia areata. J Invest Dermatol. 2020; 140:29–37. 10.1016/j.jid.2019.03.1142 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Spritz RA. Six decades of vitiligo genetics: genome-wide studies provide insights into autoimmune pathogenesis. J Invest Dermatol. 2012; 132:268–73. 10.1038/jid.2011.321 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types