Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders in renal allograft recipients: report of 53 cases of a French multicenter study

Abstract New immunosuppressive therapies are currently being developed in renal transplantation and their relative risk in terms of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) must be carefully evaluated. For this purpose, a French registry of PTLD occurring after renal transplantation was set up. Among 10000 patients presently followed up in 30 French renal transplantation centers, we prospectively identified 53 new PTLD (0.5 %) since January 1998. Patients (34 male, 19 female) ranged from 3 to 72 years (mean age: 46 years), and the median time between grafting and diagnosis of PTLD was 63 months (2 months to 14 years). Ninety percent of recipients were Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive before transplantation. Most patients received a quadruple sequential therapy with polyclonal anti-lymphocyte globulin. Sites involved in PTLD were isolated lymph nodes in 13 cases, stomach or bowel in 10 cases, allograft in 14 cases, central nervous system in 6 cases, oropharynx in 4 cases, and skin or mucosa in 4 cases. Only three PTLD expressed markers of T lineage. Out of 40 studied tumors, 31 (78%) were EBV positive. Tumors were classified as polymorph in 26 cases and monomorph in 23 cases. Genotype studies in 18 PTLD showed a monoclonal pattern in 13 cases. In most patients, treatment consisted of reduction of immune suppression, 21 patients were given additional anti-viral therapy, 13 patients had anti-CD20, 23 patients underwent chemotherapy, and 4 patients were given cerebral radiotherapy. Five patients underwent transplantectomy. Sixteen patients (30 %) died within the 1st year and 7 patients returned to dialysis (13 %). The outcome of patients with PTLD remains poor, and the optimal approach to therapy is largely unknown. This ongoing registry is not only a national observatory but also a task force designed to improve the treatment strategy of PTLD.