Double Malignancy and Double Transplant-A Bumpy Road to Success

Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Jun 27;59(7):1209. doi: 10.3390/medicina59071209.

Abstract

The occurrence of secondary neoplasms in adult patients treated with chemotherapy in childhood is not uncommon. Prior chemotherapy is found to be an independent risk factor for the development of secondary malignancies, which are usually associated with a worse prognosis. The presented case is a 35-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in her late adolescence. The tumor was successfully treated with chemotherapy, but 3 years later she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. The patient received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched related donor. The procedure was complicated by grade 2 acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) which resolved after implementation of immunosuppressive treatment. However, a year later, the patient developed extensive chronic GvHD (cGvHD) and required reintroduction of immunosuppressants. Prolonged immunosuppressive treatment with tacrolimus led to irreversible kidney failure. After a 2-year period of regular peritoneal dialysis, she was found to be eligible for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. Now, 15 years after stem cell transplantation and 8 years after kidney transplantation, the patient remains in good condition overall, presenting with symptoms of limited cGvHD. The case described here presents a unique clinical scenario of a female patient who was successfully treated for her double malignancy. Moreover, she underwent effective double transplantations and was eventually found to be cured despite accompanying complications.

Keywords: Ewing sarcoma; T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma; allogeneic stem cell transplantation; complications; immunosuppressive treatment; kidney transplantation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Graft vs Host Disease* / drug therapy
  • Graft vs Host Disease* / etiology
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* / adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Neoplasms* / complications
  • Transplantation, Homologous / adverse effects

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.