Epstein-Barr virus-induced T cell lymphoma in solid organ transplant recipients

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in transplant recipients can lead to lymphomas termed posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs). Most PTLDs are malignancies of B lymphocytes and are linked to EBV infection, but the rare T lymphocyte PTLDs have been inconsistently linked to EBV infection. Although the B lymphocyte is the main host cell of EBV, it has been suggested that T lymphocytes may also become infected by EBV. A review of EBV-induced PTLDs at our institution identified one of 61 cases that was restricted to T lymphocytes. Of 36 cases of T cell PTLD identified through a literature review, 21 were investigated for the presence of EBV, and eight (38%) were documented to be EBV-induced. We compared the features of EBV-positive and EBV-negative T cell PTLDs and concluded that cases of EBV-positive T cell PTLD have some distinctive clinical features.