T-cell post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders after cardiac transplantation: a single institutional experience.

Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are a well-recognized and potentially life-threatening complication of solid organ transplantation. While the vast majority of PTLDs are B-cell lymphoproliferations, T-cell PTLDs are rarely seen. Among 898 patients receiving cardiac transplants between 1990 and 2003, 34 patients (3.8%) developed PTLDs with two (0.2%) T-cell PTLDs, 31 (3.5%) B-cell PTLDs and one (0.1%) natural killer cell PTLD. An additional three cases of T-cell PTLD were identified among all cardiac transplant patients followed at our institution. These T-cell PTLDs comprised a heterogeneous group of Epstein-Barr virus negative lymphoproliferations that developed late after transplantation and followed an aggressive course.