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. 2023 Aug 6;142(17):1426–1437. doi: 10.1182/blood.2023020075

Table 3.

Management of rare subtypes of PTLD

PTLD subtype Associated pathology Treatment options Additional considerations
Hodgkin PTLD Most are EBV-related
Large Reed Sternberg cells may be positive for CD20 and CD79a; however CD15 is frequently negative
  • Hodgkin-like treatments

  • ABVD

  • Brentuximab-AVD use with caution due to increased risk of infectious complications

  • Rituximab may be considered for CD20+ disease

Worse prognosis than non-SOT–related cHL
Use of checkpoint blockade associated with organ rejection and death (use with extreme caution)
Primary CNS lymphoma May present as mPTLD or pPTLD, and these entities do not correlate with prognosis
Three subtypes:
  • Sporadic PCNS-LBCL–like: MYD88 and CD79B mutations are common

  • Systemic RAS–driven type: extra-CNS involvement

  • EBV-driven CNS-limited type: no oncogenic alterations

Rituximab plus high-dose methotrexate (>1.5 g/m2)
Rituximab plus high-dose cytarabine (1 g/m2)
Whole brain radiotherapy
Occurs most frequently after kidney SOT
Kidney transplant is not an absolute contraindication for methotrexate
Plasmablastoid DLBCL 100% MUM1/IRF4+
82% CD138+
64% CD30+
55% EBER+
Most have MYC and chromosome 17/TP53 derangements
In addition to treatment paradigm outlined in Figure 1, the addition of these may be considered:
  • Brentuximab vedotin if CD30+

  • Daratumumab if CD138+

  • Bortezomib

Occasionally occurs after nonplasmablastoid PTLD
T-cell PTLD Can present as any of the mature T-cell lymphoma subtypes
Most common subtypes:
  • Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma

  • Primary cutaneous ALCL

  • PTCL-NOS

  • ALK- ALCL

Treat based on recommendations for each disease entity Rare, ∼5%
Often occurs as late event

ALCL, anaplastic large cell lymphoma; ALK-ALCL, ALK negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma; cHL, classical Hodgkin lymphoma; EBER, EBV-encoded RNA; PTCL-NOS, peripheral T-cell lymphoma-not otherwise specified; RAS, rat sarcoma.