Case report: Lymphoma after heart transplant (1991)

Record number: 
272
Adverse Occurrence type: 
MPHO Type: 
Estimated frequency: 
Most recent risk assessment for leukemia, lymphoma and plasmacytoma (Council of Europe, 2022): Leukaemia, lymphoma and plasmacytoma diagnosed during donor procurement: These cancers are classified as an unacceptable risk for organ donation. Leukaemia, lymphoma and plasmacytoma in the donor history: Active (acute or chronic) leukaemia, lymphoma and plasmacytoma are an unacceptable risk for organ donation. Treated acute leukaemia and lymphoma after a definite disease-free interval of 10 years may be considered for organ donation with an assumed high risk for transmission.
Time to detection: 
5 months
Alerting signals, symptoms, evidence of occurrence: 
Died 150 days after tx due to acute rejection. Necropsy showed focal involvement of the heart and massive infiltration of lungs, liver, bone marrow and the mediastinal, axillary and retroperitoneal lymph nodes by a neoplastic population mostly consistent with immunoblasts. Diagnosis of high grade non-Hodgkin´s malignant lymphoma B immunoblastic type was proposed.
Demonstration of imputability or root cause: 
Heart and one kidney transplanted. Other kidney not transplanted because of pale appearence. - Condition known in the donor: Complete autopsy performed. Discarded kidney showed infiltrate in renal cortex compatible with low grade non-Hodgkin´s malignant lymphoma, polymorphic immunocytic type. -Only one recipient affected. Other kidney recipient no evidence of malignancy. - No evidence of EBV infection. - Phenotypic analysis showed same antigenic profile and and Ig monotypic restriction of the lymphomatous population in both donor and recipient.
Imputability grade: 
2 Probable
Groups audience: 
Suggest new keywords: 
Case report
heart transplant
kidney transplant
Deceased donor
Lymphoma, B cell, diffuse large type
Suggest references: 
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Expert comments for publication: 
This likely represents an uncommon example of transmitted lymphoma as opposed to PTLD.