Vulvovaginal Graft-versus-Host Disease: Diagnosis and Microbiome Evaluation

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the development of vulvovaginal graft-versus-host- disease (GVHD), an under-reported and under-recognized manifestation of chronic GVHD. This study aims to characterize the vaginal microbiome in participants undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the vaginal microbiome altered during allogeneic HCT? * What changes may help researchers understand the development of vulvovaginal GVHD? Participants will be asked to undergo an assessment of vulvovaginal symptoms through a vulvovaginal symptom questionnaire once pre-transplant, 6 months post-transplant, and twelve12 months post- transplant. Participants will also be asked to undergo a vaginal microbiome (collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live on our bodies) evaluation through a vaginal exam performed by a gynecologist with collection of vaginal samples once pre-transplant and again six months post-treatment and twelve months post-transplant. If a participant develops symptoms of vulvovaginal GVHD at any point in time during the post-transplant follow up, the participant may partake in additional vaginal exams to diagnose GVHD at the time of symptom onset.

Recent advances in technologies including high throughput metagenomic 16S rRNA gene sequencing have revealed a larger, more complex picture of the bacterial diversity in the genital tract and unique microbial communities not previously recognized among the known vaginal flora categories. Little is known about how the vaginal microbiome protects the female genital tract or other roles it may have, including interacting with the microbiota of other body sites and subsequent inflammatory responses. Alteration of vaginal flora may play a part in the pathogenesis of diseases by modulating immunity or increasing the growth of pathogenic strains. Recent research has been conducted regarding changes in the vaginal microbiome during various infectious and inflammatory states such as bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted infectious, and pregnancy. However, the vaginal microbiome during allogeneic HCT and development of genital GVHD has yet to be examined. Thus, the role of the vaginal microbiome in the development of genital GVHD is a critical area of study.