EBV-associated nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma of the nasal cavity/paranasal sinus in a renal allograft recipient

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a severe complication arising in allograft recipients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. The incidence of PTLD has risen markedly in recent years following the introduction of novel potent immunosuppressants [1]. The spectrum of PTLDs varies from polymorphic B-cell hyperplasia to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which includes monomorphic T-cell lymphomas, peripheral T-cell lymphomas, anaplastic large cell lymphomas and natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphomas. The majority of PTLDs derive from the B-cell lineage; such lymphomas are often associated with active Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. In contrast to B-cell PTLDs, T-cell or NK-cell PTLDs are associated with EBV infection in only a minority of cases. We describe here an EBV-associated, nasal-type, extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma that developed in the nasal cavity/paranasal sinus 4 years after live donor renal transplantation. We have retrospectively examined the association of the EBV titres, determined by serological testing, with lymphocyte cell counts, which were measured during routine out-patient examinations.