Molecular genetic analysis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders

Lymphoproliferative disorders developing in the post-transplant setting are a devastating set of diseases with major implications for the patients who develop them. On the other hand, they have provided us with an opportunity to better understand the basic biology of these disorders and malignant lymphomas in general. Molecular gene rearrangement studies and the Epstein-Barr virus, which is found in the genome of most of the abnormal lymphocytes in these disorders, have been investigated to further our understanding of the development and progression of these diseases.