T-cell and NK-cell posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) of T-cell or natural killer (NK)-cell origin are an uncommon heterogeneous group of lymphoid proliferations that fulfill the criteria for one of the T- or NK-cell lymphomas/leukemias. This report summarizes 130 T/NK-cell PTLDs reported in the literature or presented at the Society for Hematopathology/European Association for Haematopathology Workshop on T/NK-cell malignancies. The T/NK-cell PTLDs occur at a median of 66 months following transplantation and are usually extranodal. The most common types reported are peripheral T-cell lymphoma, unspecified, and hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. Approximately one third are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)+. The median survival is 6 months. EBV+ cases have a significantly longer survival than EBV- cases, even when indolent T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemias are included among the EBV- cases. Many T/NK-cell PTLDs have been treated with chemotherapy, often together with decreased immunosuppression, but there are infrequent patients who have done well without chemotherapy or radiation.