Successful treatment of mucormycosis in a renal allograft recipient

INTRODUCTION: Mucormycosis is a rare but potentially lethal fungal infection in renal allograft recipients with rhinocerebral mucormycosis is the most common presentation. The usual infection route is inhalation of the spores, but certain procedures such as intravenous cannulation and bladder catheterization are often the cause of infection. CASE: A 50-year-old female dermatologist received an allograft from an emotionally related living donor, 24-year-old male with the same blood group and 3/6 mismatches. After severe attack of acute vascular rejection associated with rupture graft, that was managed properly she developed rinocereral mucormycosis. It was diagnosed early and aggressively treated with amphoteracin B and carefully monitored with favourable graft and patient survival. Up to our knowledge, this is the first case of renal transplant with extrarenal-ethemoidal sinus-mucor infection associated with acute vascular rejection that in spite of aggressive anti-rejection therapies with methylprednisolone, rituximab and plasma exchange, had favourable outcome in terms of graft and patient survival. CONCLUSION: Mucormycosis in a renal allograft recipient is an extremely rare and potentially lethal complication. Aggressive anti-rejection therapy is a risk factor for the development of this unfavourable outcome. Early diagnosis, aggressive treatment with amphoteracin B and careful monitoring can be helpful in treating these patients and achieve favourable prognosis.     

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a renal allograft associated with Epstein-Barr virus in the recipient: a case report and a review of lymphomas presenting in a transplanted kidney

Abstract:  The purpose of this review was to evaluate the case reports with lymphoproliferative disorders exclusively localized in the allograft transplanted kidney. We also report a rare case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma originated from the lymphocytes of the recipient with exclusive localization in the kidney allograft. We searched the medical literature for case reports of this condition. We found only 16 cases of lymphoma presenting in the kidney allograft without systemic affectation. The most frequent clinical manifestations were graft dysfunction and fever. In the majority of patients included in this review, the diagnosis was established from the tissue of explanted allograft. Seven patients were diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, and the relationship with Epstein-Barr virus could only be demonstrated in four patients. However, the outcome was satisfactory in all cases, except in one case in which death was not related with the lymphoma etiology. Health care providers should be aware of this clinical entity and heightened index of suspicion should be used so as not to delay diagnosis and not to lose the allograft.     

Acute lobar nephronia in a renal allograft: a case report and literature review

We report a diabetic renal transplant recipient who presented with fever and right lower quadrant abdominal pain. Acute appendicitis was considered initially and she underwent emergent appendectomy. However, persistent symptoms postoperatively made us perform an imaging study to identify the problems. Abdominal and pelvic computed tomography disclosed several focal wedge-shaped lesions of low attenuation in the renal allograft. Acute lobar nephronia was successfully managed with parenteral antibiotics. The patient recovered without any sequela. A renal allograft in the right iliac fossa complicates the diagnosis among acute renal infection, malignancy, acute rejection, and even acute appendicitis. Biopsy of the renal allograft is sometimes needed due to clinically ambiguous imaging results. In this report, we not only detail the clinical course of such a rare case, but also review the previous 3 cases of acute lobar nephronia in renal allografts in the literature.     

Isolated renal intravascular lymphoma: a case report and review of the literature

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a very rare subtype of extranodal large B-cell lymphoma. It may involve various organ systems such as skin, liver, lung or kidney. Isolated kidney involvement of IVLBCL is also very rare. Herein we report a very rare case of isolated renal IVLBCL presented with fever of unknown origin, acute kidney injury and nephrotic syndrome. Diagnosis was suspected with isolated high renal ¹⁸F fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in positron emission tomography and confirmed with renal biopsy. Complete remission was obtained with combined chemotherapy including rituximab. We reviewed the English literature in terms of IVLBCL with renal involvement and we could only find 16 such cases. Accordingly, fever, AKI and nephritic syndrome are the most common presenting symptoms in renal intravascular lymphoma.     

Successful medical treatment of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient

Emphysematous pyelonephritis in renal allograft recipients is a rare but serious complication. The management of this entity is a subject of controversy in live related donor programs where the absence of a second donor is a key factor influencing surgical removal of the graft. We present a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis in a renal allograft recipient managed successfully with medical therapy alone.     

Mucormycosis of the renal allograft: case report and review of the literature

Fungal infection is an uncommon complication after renal transplantation. We describe a rare form of mucormycosis in the renal graft. Our method was to review chart data and to perform medline searches. The patient was a 42-year-old man who underwent living-unrelated kidney transplantation in Egypt and returned to Israel on POD 8. Within the ensuing 4 weeks he experienced acute rejection which responded to treatment with steroids. Few days after discharge he was readmitted because of fever and graft dysfunction. An infected large perigraft collection was drained, but the patient became anuric and septic. Kidney biopsy showed infarcted necrotic tissue infiltrated by fungi which grew Mucor species. Despite initial improvement following graft nephrectomy and antifungal treatment the patient died of sepsis. Literature review revealed only three additional cases of graft infection due to Mucorales. We conclude that Renal graft infection due to Mucorales is an extremely rare and potentially lethal complication. Living unrelated donation in third world countries might be a possible risk factor. Fungal colonization may occur during transplantation. A high index of suspicion, leading to early diagnosis and initiation of antifungal treatment, in addition to graft nephrectomy, are keys to a more favorable outcome. Received: 12 July 2000 Revised: 18 December 2000 Accepted: 6 September 2001     

Double endocrine neoplasia in a renal transplant recipient: case report and review of the literature

Introduction

The incidence of cancer compared for age groups is 3-4 times higher in transplant recipients than the general population. The increased risk is related to immunosuppressive therapy as well as the use of increasingly older donors and recipients. Although cardiovascular disease with a functioning transplant is the leading cause of death (47%), cancer mortality is significant especially among older patients. However, the most frequent posttransplantation cancers relate to hemolymphopoietic organs and skin, whereas the occurrence of solid tumors elsewhere is rare. Herein we have described a rare case of synchronous double malignancy of endocrine organs (thyroid-adrenal) in a young woman who underwent renal transplantation.

Case Report

A 37-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease for 18 years underwent transplantation when she was 30 years old with a 17-year-old standard cadaveric donor receiving immunosuppressive therapy with mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine, and steroids. Follow-up demonstrated good indices of renal function with negative tumor pathology at 79 months when, at an annual ultrasound monitoring, we found a lesion in the right lobe of the thyroid and left adrenal neoplasm of dubious interpretation. The cytology for the thyroid was highly suspicious of papillary carcinoma, whereas the histological examination after surgery diagnosed a thyroid multifocal papillary microcarcinoma (mpT1NxMx) and an oxyphil cell adrenocortical carcinoma (pT2, N0).

Results

Six months after total thyroidectomy with central lymphadenectomy and left kidney and adrenal gland removal the patient showed no evidence of recurrent lesions and stable graft function.

Conclusions

The rare occurrence of solid tumors after transplantation has no known etiopathogenetic relation. Despite the young age of the patient and the double neoplasm that could have produced an unfavorable outcome for the patient and the graft, careful follow-up for tumor pathologies and multidisciplinary management achieved an early diagnosis of both tumors with a surgical eradication without adjuvant therapy, preserving the life of the patient and the function of the graft.     

Primary laryngeal T-cell lymphoma: A case report and review of the literature

IntroductionPrimary lymphoma of the larynx is extremely rare, representing less than 1% of all primary laryngeal neoplasms. It consists mainly of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs), represented particularly by diffuse large B-cell. Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, presented in larynx is a rare condition that accounts for less than 11% of all lymphomas without distinctive clinicopathologic features, as well as challenging pathologic diagnosis.Case reportWe report here a case of a 64-years-old man who presented with primary lymphoma type T of the subglottic larynx. A histopathological examination of the biopsy confirmed non-Hodgkin T cell lymphoma. Given his age, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The patient was disease-free after 18 months follow up.ConclusionThe clinicopathological characteristics and rational treatment of primary laryngeal lymphoma are still unclear and need to be further defined due to the paucity of this pathology.     

Conservative surgical treatment of low-grade urothelial carcinoma in the renal allograft recipient: a case report

Development of urothelial carcinoma in a renal allograft is rare. We report the case of 52-year-old male patient who developed chronic renal failure secondary to Balkan endemic nephropathy and underwent renal allotransplantation. The patient who developed low-grade pTa urothelial carcinoma in the left contracted kidney at 3 years after transplantation and underwent nephroureterectomy. Three years later, the same neoplastic process was observed in the renal allograft. Preoperative estimation for allograft tumor recurrence and progression included percutaneous tumor biopsy followed by cytopathological, histological, and cytogenetic analysis. Cytopathology revealed well-differentiated urothelial tumor cells. Histopathologic analysis showed low-grade urothelial carcinoma. Cytogenetic examination demonstrated that the tumor originated from the recipient suggesting a low malignant potential of carcinoma. Based on these findings, we decided to perform a right-side nephroureterectomy and graft-sparing procedure, which resulted in preservation of allograft function. In this report we discussed the prognostic factors, which are the basis for rational therapeutic approaches in these patients.     

Epstein-Barr virus-associated hepatic leiomyosarcoma after renal transplantation: case report

The incidence of neoplastic complications after solid organ transplantation is increasing tremendously probably as the consequence of long term immunosuppression. Beside usual risk factors, the oncogenic role of some viruses like Epstein-Barr virus is well established. We report a case of a primitive EBV-induced liver leiomyosarcoma after renal transplantation.     

肾脏原发性淋巴瘤一例报告并文献复习

目的 提高肾脏原发性淋巴瘤的诊治水平.方法 回顾性分析1例肾脏原发性淋巴瘤患者的临床病理资料,结合文献复习讨论.患者,女,61岁.因左侧腰痛2周入院.查体:左上腹压痛,左肾区叩击痛.B超检查见左肾正常结构未显示,集合系统分离,最宽处约1.0 cm,左肾区可探及一巨大低回声肿物,大小9.7cm×5.3cm,边界模糊.CT检查见左肾中下极肿物,大小9.8 cm×8.9 cm ×8.8 cm,边界不清,平扫CT值为39 HU,增强后为61 HU,强化不明显.术前诊断:左肾恶性肿瘤.结果 患者行根治性左肾切除术.病理报告:左肾大部分被肿瘤组织占据,中下极见10.0cm×9.5 cm ×8.5 cm类圆形肿物,质硬,肿物切面呈灰白色,质地细腻.镜下瘤细胞呈弥漫性浸润,卵圆形或多边形,略大于正常淋巴细胞,核大深染呈不规则形.病理诊断:肾弥漫性大B细胞性淋巴瘤.骨髓穿刺检查未见异常.行环磷酰胺+吡喃阿霉素+长春新碱+泼尼松+利妥昔单抗方案化疗6周期.术后每3个月复查胸部X线片、腹部B超及CT等.随访20个月,未见肿瘤复发.结论 肾脏原发性淋巴瘤临床罕见,症状与肾癌相似,影像学检查无特征性改变,确诊需依靠病理学检查.本病预后不良,手术切除患肾联合规范的全身化疗,可延长患者的生存期.     

Unusual Merkel cell carcinoma in a renal transplant recipient: case report and review of the literature

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon and aggressive neuroendocrine primary skin cancer known for its high propensity for local recurrence and distant metastases. There is no consensus regarding the optimal therapeutic approach, and the relative roles of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are still controversial. MCC generally affects elderly patients in areas of actinically damaged skin. Several studies suggest that a more aggressive course is observed in immunocompromised patients such as organ transplant recipients. Clinically, MCC usually appears as a rapidly growing, dome-shaped and solitary nodule. More than half of these tumours occur in the head and neck, and can become a challenge for the plastic and reconstructive surgeon. An unusual case of this cutaneous malignancy is presented in a renal transplant recipient. The tumour was located in the medial canthus of the eye. Tumour resection was performed and a reverse flow pre-auricular island flap and a forehead flap were used for reconstruction.     

Primary renal lymphoma does exist: case report and review of the literature

Primary renal lymphoma (PRL) is a controversial and rare disease and there is still no agreement on its existence. Many cases have been reported in the literature, but clear diagnostic criteria have not yet been established. Most of the reported cases are questionable because of incomplete staging or the presence of extrarenal disease. Here we report a new case and a review of the literature based on a critical examination of the diagnostic procedure. Thus, probably only 29 cases, ours included, should be recognized as PRL, because only these cases fulfil the three diagnostic criteria and underwent complete diagnostic screening, including renal biopsy, bone marrow biopsy and thoraco-abdominal computerised tomography (CT).     

Delayed renal allograft dysfunction and cystitis associated with human polyomavirus (BK) infection in a renal transplant recipient: a case report and review of literature

Human polyomavirus type BK (BKV) associated nephritis (BKVAN) has recently emerged as an important cause of renal allograft dysfunction and failure. Early recognition of this entity as a cause of allograft dysfunction is extremely important since misdiagnosis can accelerate graft loss. We report a case of BKVAN that presented with symptoms related to cystitis, and review the risk factors, the diagnostic tools and the approach to treatment of BK virus associated allograft nephropathy.