Hodgkin lymphoma post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder following pediatric renal transplant: serial imaging with F-18 FDG PET/CT.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) occurs in 1.2% of pediatric renal transplant patients, and is frequently Epstein-Barr Virus mediated. Hodgkin Lymphoma PTLD is the rarest of the 4 types of PTLDs recognized by the World Health Organization, with an incidence of <4% of all PTLD patients. It has a distinct clinical course and treatment from all other types of PTLD. This is a case of a 16-year-old girl who had a renal transplant in 2000 due to Moya Moya disease. Her first F-18 FDG PET/CT done in 2006 showed mildly FDG-avid mediastinal adenopathy (histologically nonspecific reactive nodes), however in 2009, after presenting with fevers, a repeat PET/CT showed extensive intensely FDG-avid disease. Biopsy of a supraclavicular node identified Hodgkin Lymphoma PTLD. The patient was treated with chemotherapy and reimaged, showing excellent response to therapy. In contrast, classic PTLD is treated by withdrawal of immunosuppression and administration of Rituximab. F-18 FDG PET/CT is known to be very useful in the staging and monitoring of response to therapy in the setting of classic PTLD. In this case, serial F-18 FDG PET/CT scans proved very useful in the evaluation and follow-up of the rare and distinct Hodgkin Lymphoma PTLD subtype.