Post transplant CD8+ gammadelta T-cell lymphoma associated with human herpes virus-6 infection

Gammadelta T-cell lymphoma is a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that has been reported in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised persons. This report describes a forty eight year old patient who developed gammadelta T-cell lymphoma four years after undergoing living-related kidney transplantation. The lymphoma expressed CD2, CD3, CD7, CD8 and CD56, and the gammadelta T-cell receptor and did not express CD5, CD4 and the alphabeta T-cell receptor. In addition, HHV-6 was cultured from the patient's bone marrow, marking the first time that this virus has been associated with gammadelta T-cell lymphoma. Since all patients with gammadelta T-cell lymphoma described to date have responded poorly to standard combination chemotherapies, the patient was treated with the purine analogue 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine. While he responded transiently to treatment, long term remission was not achieved indicating that additional therapeutic approches still need to be developed, for the management of this disorder.