Superficial mucoceles in chronic graft-versus-host disease: A case report and review of the literature

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common complication among allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients. Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) has numerous clinical manifestations and the oral cavity is almost always involved. Common oral manifestations include diffuse mucosal erythema and atrophy, lichenoid lesions, pain, and xerostomia. This article reports the case of a 40-year-old man with a history of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation who developed cGVHD. In addition to diffuse oral mucosal erythema and lichenoid-appearing lesions, he also developed numerous persistent painful superficial mucoceles. The superficial mucoceles were refractory to treatment with topical steroids; however, subsequent treatment with triamcinolone intra-lesional injections decreased their quantity, size, and symptoms.