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. 2025 Nov;31(11):902.e1-902.e6.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2025.07.002. Epub 2025 Jul 3.

Serositis Associated with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Chloe Te  1 , Taara Elahi  1 , Kenna Samples  1 , Lynn Onstad  1 , Stephanie J Lee  2
Affiliations

Serositis Associated with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Chloe Te et al. Transplant Cell Ther. 2025 Nov.

Abstract

Serositis is a recognized complication associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) in patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Although it is uncommon, serositis after HCT can have significant negative clinical impacts. There are limited data describing the patient population, incidence, risk factors, and management strategies of cGVHD-associated serositis. We retrospectively identified 50 adult patients who underwent HCT at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center between 1998 and 2021 and developed serositis attributed to cGVHD. Most patients developed pericardial effusions (n = 31) and/or pleural effusions (n = 38). Overall, 94% of patients with pleural effusion and 87% of patients with pericardial effusion received medical management for their serositis. Eleven patients experienced at least one recurrence of serositis. The median overall survival for all serositis types at 1-year postserositis diagnosis was 86%, and 69% for 3-year postserositis diagnosis. Serositis is a serious atypical cGVHD manifestation, and prospective data collected from a larger cohort of patients is required to better understand favorable treatment strategies and outcomes of this complication.

Keywords: Allogeneic; Graft-versus-host-disease; HCT; Serositis; cGVHD.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest: none

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