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David P. Beynet, MS; Sue A. Wee, MD; Steven S. Horwitz, MD; Sabina Kohler, MD; Sandra Horning, MD; Richard Hoppe, MD; Youn H. Kim, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2004;140:1140-1146.

Background  Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are lymphoid proliferations that can develop in recipients of solid organ or allogeneic bone marrow transplants. They are clinically and pathologically heterogeneous and range from polyclonal hyperplastic lesions to malignant lymphomas. Although extranodal involvement in PTLD is common, cutaneous presentation is rare, with only 19 cases reported previously.

Observations  We describe 4 patients with cutaneous presentations of PTLD. All patients had relatively late-onset PTLD (>1 year after transplantation) with a median of 8 years from organ allograft to tumor diagnosis. The extent, number, and anatomic location of skin lesions varied from a localized patch to widespread nodules. None of the patients exhibited systemic symptoms at the time of PTLD diagnosis. Pathological findings ranged from plasmacytic hyperplasia to monomorphic PTLD. In situ hybridization detected Epstein-Barr virus messenger RNA in all 3 cases with evaluable tissue. All patients underwent reduction in immunosuppressive therapy and received other individualized treatments. Median follow-up was 2.5 years. At the most recent follow-up, 3 patients were in complete remission and 1 had residual disease.

Conclusions  In this study, PTLD lesions presenting in the skin responded to therapy. Despite their relatively late occurrence after transplantation, most of these cases were positive for Epstein-Barr virus. As observed with other cutaneous lymphomas, the PTLDs with predominant skin involvement had a relatively favorable outcome.

From the Departments of Dermatology (Mr Beynet and Drs Wee and Kim), Medicine (Drs Horwitz and Horning), Pathology (Dr Kohler), and Radiation Oncology (Dr Hoppe), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif. The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.