Cell transplant could treat vitiligo--study

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, U.S. established that skin transplant surgery could be effective in treating the de-pigmentation of skin caused in vitiligo.

Vitiligo is known to be caused when melanocytes--pigments responsible for the colour of skin--are either incapable of functioning or die.

Lead author, Iltefat Hamzavi, M.D., senior staff physician, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital said, “The results achieved in our study were of obvious significance to our patients.”

Details of the study
The research team conducted the study on 32 vitiligo patients, 18 males and 14 females, aged 18 to 60.

These patients underwent skin transplant surgery, also known as melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation (MKTP), wherein melanocyte cells were taken from one healthy part of the patient’s skin and were divided to build a skin cell mixture.

The mixture was then applied on the affected areas--which included hands, arms, legs, feet, face and stomach--followed by dressing.

The surgery that was done under local anesthesia lasted for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of two hours, depending on the patient’s condition. Patients were discharged from the hospital the following day.

After the surgery, subjects were followed for a period of six months, to determine its results on affected areas.

Results of the study
After evaluating the results for the stipulated six months, researchers revealed that patients recuperated their natural skin colour in the treated areas by 52 percent.

It was also found that in eight patients having one particular type of vitiligo there was 74 percent improvement in treated areas.

“Patients of color and those with vitiligo on one side of the body and in one area of the body may benefit most from this procedure,” said Hamzavi.

Maxine Whitton, supporter of the Vitiligo Society, a UK charity, cautioned that the procedure was neither apt for larger areas of the body nor for aggressively scattering vitiligo.

“We need more studies using this technique including well-designed randomised controlled trials comparing this technique with other surgical interventions such as grafting,” Whitton said.

Whitton also added, “The results of this study could lead to further investigation of the technique and be useful for some people with vitiligo.”

The study was presented at the annual meeting of American Academy of Dermatology.