Posttransplant Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma: Richter Transformation or Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder?

In this report, we describe a patient whose initial CLL/SLL transformed to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, who then received allo-SCT. Subsequent development of classic Hodgkin lymphoma proved to be a diagnostic conundrum, for which PTLD and disease progression/recurrence were both reasonable considerations. This case illustrates the diagnostic dilemma and semantic confusion faced by both pathologists and clinicians when lymphoproliferative disorders emerge within the immunologically complex interface of CLL/SLL, RT, and allo-SCT. As molecular technologies are becoming more commonplace in routine diagnostics, subpopulation clonal analysis may be useful in such cases. It may also be worth reevaluating the classification and criteria for PTLD and different subtypes of RT, especially in light of implications for prognosis and optimal therapies.
Source: Pathology Case Reviews - Category: Pathology Tags: Case Reviews Source Type: research