Primary Hepatic Burkitt Lymphoma in a Kidney Transplant Recipient

Abstract

This is a case of a renal transplant recipient who developed a primary hepatic Burkitt lymphoma a few years after kidney transplantation. The past medical history of the patient was significant for anti-HCV positivity with liver histopathology showing minimal changes of grades 0 and 1, stage 0. She received a graft from a deceased donor, with rabbit antithymocyte globulin and methyl-prednisolone, as induction therapy, and was maintained on azathioprine, cyclosporine, and low dose methyl-prednisolone with normal renal function. Four years after KTx she presented with fatigue, hepatomegaly, and impaired liver function and the workup revealed multiple, variable-sized, low density nodules in the liver, due to diffuse monotonous infiltration of highly malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma of B-cells, which turned out to be a Burkitt lymphoma. Bone marrow biopsy and spinal fluid exam were free of lymphoma cells. At time of lymphoma diagnosis she was shown to be positive for Epstein-Barr virus polymerase chain reaction. She received aggressive chemotherapy but died due to sepsis, as a result of toxicity of therapy.