Occurrence and prognostic relevance of CD30 expression in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders

Abstract

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) are potentially fatal, often Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-driven neoplasias developing in immunocompromised hosts. Initial treatment usually consists of a reduction in immunosuppressive therapy and/or rituximab with or without chemotherapy. However, patients who relapse do poorly, and new treatment options are warranted. With the introduction of the immunoconjugate brentuximab vedotin, the CD30 antigen has become an effectively targetable molecule. Therefore, we investigated the frequency and level of CD30 expression in PTLDs. We identified 108 patients with PTLDs diagnosed during 1994–2011, of whom 62 had adequate paraffin-embedded tissue for tissue microarray construction. Immunohistochemical expression of CD30 was consistently detected in all types of PTLD (overall 85.25%), including the monomorphic subtypes, and was correlated with a more favorable outcome. For diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-type PTLD this was regardless of EBV status, and remained significant in multivariate analysis. Cell-of-origin had no independent prognostic value in our series of DLBCL PTLD.

Keywords::

• CD30
• PTLD
• EBV
• cell-of-origin

Acknowledgements

This work was made possible through unrestricted grants from Aarhus University, The Karen Elise Jensen Foundation, The Foundation of Eva and Henry Frænkel, Grosserer M. Brogaard and Wife Memorial Foundation, The Danish Cancer Society, Manager Jacob Madsen and wife Olga Madsen's Foundation and Einar Willumsens Memorial Foundation.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at www.informahealthcare.com/lal.

Supplementary material available online

Supplementary Table I and III