Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease after liver transplantation.

Abstract

We have read the article "Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease in liver transplant recipients" with great interest. This article reports a series of liver transplant recipients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). The effect on patient survival and the potential benefit of rituximab-based therapy are highlighted. Rituximab is a chimeric antibody against the CD20 surface marker. This marker is found in most PTLD of a B cell origin. A recent study from our center also highlighted the role of rituximab in PTLD therapy (3). The overall response rate of patients treated with rituximab was 66% in both series. In our series, this included heart, kidney and liver transplant recipients. Rituximab-based therapy was also associated with an increased overall survival. Rituximab should be considered as part of the first-line therapy in patients with PTLD when CD20 expression is present.