Post transplant T-cell lymphoma: a case series of four patients from a single unit and review of the literature.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) occur in approximately 1% of renal graft recipients. Of these, up to 15 percent are of the T-cell type. In this study, we present four cases of T-cell lymphoma from our renal transplant population, each of whom presented with non-specific symptoms, pancytopenia and/or liver dysfunction, with no obvious lymphadenopathy. They were all diagnosed with rare subsets of T-cell PTLD that included hepato-splenic T-cell lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). At the time of presentation, the patients were too ill for treatment to be initiated and succumbed to their illness. Increased awareness of this condition may allow for earlier diagnosis and improve its prognosis. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Munksgaard