title: Case report: successful treatment of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder and quiescence of dermatomyositis with rituximab and sirolimus.
abstract: Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) remains one of the most important complications of intensive immunosuppressive therapy. A 65-year-old Caucasian woman received a primary en bloc kidney transplant from a deceased 2-year-old donor. After antithymocyte globulin induction she was treated with a maintenance regimen including cyclosporine and mycophenylate mofetil (MMF). She had a history of recurrent dermatomyositis, suggesting a flawed immune system. After a benign course for 9 months and after an increase in MMF from 2 to 3 g daily, she presented with pneumonia owing to Candida albicans, which was responsive to antibiotics, as was the PTLD. Persistent fever led to a diagnosis of PTLD. The immunosuppressive regimen was converted to sirolimus (SRL) and rituximab, with over 90% necrosis of the neoplasm at 1 month. However, owing to concern at exploration, the allografts were extirpated. This case documented the benefit of the rituximab-SRL combination to treat PTLD while maintaining dermatomyositis in remission.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology and Organ Transplantation, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kaposztas
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Etheridge
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kahan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D001062:Appendectomy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069283:Rituximab; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000069283:Rituximab; D020123:Sirolimus