[Early onset Epstein-Barr virus-negative diffuse large B cell lymphoma after bilateral lung transplantation: a case report]

Abstract

Lymphoma after solid organ transplantation is one of the manifestations of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders(PTLD). Here we reported a 39-year-old male patient presented with intermittent fever, markedly elevated level of peripheral blood lymphocytes and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), rapid decrease in hemoglobin and platelet count ten months after bilateral lung transplantation. After systematic evaluation, the patient excluded infectious diseases. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed diffuse increasing of standard uptake value in bones throughout the body. The bone marrow aspiration, flow cytometric analysis and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with negative Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNA (EBER) hybridization in situ. Meanwhile, complicated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was also diagnosed in the patient based on hypertriglyceridemia, abnormally elevated level of serum ferritin and solvable CD25 (sCD25). Treatment regimen included reduction of immunosuppression, anti-CD20 antibody (CD20⁺ B cell inhibitor, rituximab) and etoposide. Repeated PET/CT and bone marrow biopsy showed complete remission of lymphoma after 4 months of therapy.