Graft outcomes following diagnosis of post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease in pediatric kidney recipients: a retrospective study

Data related to graft outcomes following post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) in pediatric kidney transplantation are scarce. Data were analyzed retrospectively from 12 children (eight boys) for 3 years after diagnosis of PTLD, with a loss of follow‐up after 2 years in two of 12. In all cases, intensity of immunosuppressive therapy was reduced, which switched from calcineurin inhibitor to a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor in ten cases. Nine children were treated with six doses of rituximab according to the PED‐PTLD‐2005 protocol, with additional treatment in one child as per protocol. One patient received EuroNet‐PHL C1. In four patients, donor‐specific antibodies were detected after PTLD diagnosis at 3, 4, 5 and 7 years, respectively. One patient developed chronic antibody‐mediated rejection (cAMR) 12 years after diagnosis, losing the graft 1 year later. Three patients with recurrence of the original disease also lost their grafts, one at the time of diagnosis of PTLD, and two after 4 years. Range‐based analysis of variance showed that there was no decrease in estimated GFR at 1, 2, or 3 years after diagnosis of PTLD (P = 0.978). In conclusion, treatment of PTLD with reduced immunosuppression is safe and efficient. This may be due to B‐cell‐depleting therapy of PTLD with rituximab.