Lymphomas following cardiac transplantation. Case report and review of the literature.

The success of allogeneic organ transplantation is in great part due to pharmacologic advances in the area of immunosuppressive therapy. However, this achievement has been attained at the price of an unexpectedly high incidence of malignancies in this transplant population. Lymphoid malignancies predominate in this and other immunodeficiency states. There is some controversy in the literature over the clonal or malignant nature of these proliferations. This paper presents a case of Burkitt-like lymphoma occurring after cardiac transplantation. The role of Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of this disorder is reviewed as are multidisciplinary approaches to its management.