Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Posttransplantation lymphproliferative disorder
- Radiologic Findings
- Chest CT shows multiple variable sized, enlarged axillary, mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes.
Neck CT shows multiple enlarged cervical lymph nodes in the bilateral level I
- Brief Review
- Posttransplantation malignancies in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSC) patients are seven times more common than primary cancer in the general population. Posttransplantation malignancies include solid tumors, hematologic neoplasms, and posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).
PTLD represents a heterogeneous group of Epstein Barr virus related lymphoid tumors, including lymphoid hyperplasia and lymphoid neoplasia, which occur in the setting of chronic immunosuppression after solid organ transplantation. PTLD occurs as early as 1 month after transplantation. PTLD occurs in approximately 2% of HSC transplantation patients.
In our case, cervical lymph node proved to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at biopsy. Lymphoma in transplant patients shows aggressive atypical features unlike the lymphomas that occur in the general population. Because these lymphomas are almost always fatal if untreated, awareness of their imaging appearance will prompt early diagnosis and intervention.
Extranodal disease (81%) is more common than lymphadenopathy (22%) in patients with PTLD. Single or multiple organ masses are the characteristic radiographic presentations of PTLD. Any of the solid organs, hollow viscera, abdominal, retroperitoneal and iliac lymph nodes, retroperitoneal musculature, or peritoneum of the abdomen can be involved in PTLD. In chest CT images, manifestations of PTLD usually consist of multiple pulmonary nodules or hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy or both.
- References
- 1. Tom�s Franquet, Nestor L. M�ller, Kyung Soo Lee, Ana Gim�nez, and Julia D. Flint Pictorial Essay: High-Resolution CT and Pathologic Findings of Noninfectious Pulmonary Complications After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation AJR February 2005 184:629-637
2. Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative Disorder of the Head and Neck: Imaging Features in Seven Adults Radiology August 2000 216:363-369
3. Toni L. Meador, Thorsten L. Krebs, Jade J. Wong You Cheong, Barry Daly, Susan Keay, and Stephen Bartlett Imaging Features of Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Pancreas Transplant Recipients AJR January 2000 174:121-124
- Keywords
- mediastinum, lymphoproliferative disease,