Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder subtypes correlate with different recurring chromosomal abnormalities

Although cytogenetic analysis advanced the understanding of the pathogenesis of primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma and led to improved clinical management, there have been no large cytogenetic studies of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). We examined the karyotypes of 36 PTLD cases and correlated them with clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings. The cases included 2 early lesions, 13 polymorphic PTLDs, and 21 monomorphic PTLDs (18 B-cell and 3 T-cell proliferations). Cytogenetic abnormalities were identified in 72% of monomorphic B-cell PTLDs and in all T-cell PTLDs, but in only 15% of polymorphic PTLDs and in no early lesions. The most frequent clonal abnormalities in monomorphic PTLD were trisomies 9 and/or 11 (5 cases), followed by rearrangements of 8q24.1 (4 cases), 3q27 (2 cases), and 14q32 (2 cases). MYC rearrangement (8q24.1) and T-cell-associated chromosomal abnormalities correlated with poor outcome and short survival. PTLD with trisomy 9 and/or 11 developed early after transplant, presenting as Epstein-Barr virus-positive large B-cell lymphoma with prolonged survival.