Development of Lymphoproliferative Disease After Liver Transplantation

Betel quid chewing leads to the development of unique de novo malignancies in liver transplant recipients, a retrospective single center study in Taiwan

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the choice of treatment not only for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure but also for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The development of de novo malignancies after liver transplantation plays an important role in late mortality; the incidence of late mortality has increased owing to improved survival. The incidence of de novo malignancies is 2.3% to 25%, which is 2 to 3 times that of malignancies in the general population. The most commonly reported de novo malignancies in solid organs are skin cancer, Karposi sarcoma, and colon cancer according to the frequency of exposure to a specific carcinogen. We hypothesized that exposure to different carcinogens would change the distribution of de novo malignancies among patients after OLT. In Taiwan, 10% of the population is exposed to a unique carcinogen, the betel quid, which is associated with a high incidence of head and neck cancer (HNC) among the Taiwanese population.From 2004 to 2014, we retrospectively reviewed 484 cases post-OLT at our institution and 16 patients with 17 de novo malignancies were identified. Most of the patients had HNC, which is in contrast to previous literature reports.Univariate and multivariate analyses identified betel quid chewing as the main leading factor for HNC in the Taiwanese population.Routine screening of the oral mucosa in patients with the habit of betel quid chewing is recommended in Taiwan for the early detection of HNC. Routine screening with aggressive treatment after diagnosis of HNC in patients with the habit of chewing betel quid, who underwent OLT, resulted in good patient prognosis.

More benign lymphoproliferative disease after liver transplant in infants

CONTEXT-Despite the high frequency of liver transplants in infants, few data are available on the characteristics of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders in liver transplant patients (PTLD). OBJECTIVE-To analyze special features and behavior of PTLD arising after liver transplant in infants. METHODS-A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted for the available data on PTLD in infant liver transplant recipients through PubMed and Google scholar. An infant was defined as a liver recipient who was less than 2 years old at the time of transplant. Overall, 205 cases of PTLD were found in 24 reports, and the 100 infants with PTLD were compared with children and adults with PTLD. RESULTS-PTLD lesions in infants were more likely to be polymorphic whereas monomorphic lesions were more prevalent among older patients (P= .05). Remission rates, metastasis frequency, and organ involvement did not differ significantly between the groups. Survival analysis showed that the infants had a significantly better outcome than did older patients (P= .05). CONCLUSION-PTLD is more benign and may have a better outcome in infant liver transplant recipients than in older recipients. A prospective multicenter approach is needed for future research studies.

Burden of de novo malignancy in the liver transplant recipient

Recipients of liver transplantation (LT) have a higher overall risk (2-3 times on average) of developing de novo malignancies than the general population, with standardized incidence ratios ranging from 1.0 for breast and prostate cancers to 3-4 for colon cancer and up to 12 for esophageal and oropharyngeal cancers. Aside from immunosuppression, other identified risk factors for de novo malignancies include the patient's age, a history of alcoholic liver disease or primary sclerosing cholangitis, smoking, and viral infections with oncogenic potential. Despite outcome studies showing that de novo malignancies are major causes of mortality and morbidity after LT, there are no guidelines for cancer surveillance protocols or immunosuppression protocols to lower the incidence of de novo cancers. Patient education, particularly for smoking cessation and excess sun avoidance, and regular clinical follow-up remain the standard of care. Further research in epidemiology, risk factors, and the effectiveness of screening and management protocols is needed to develop evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and treatment of de novo malignancies.

Surveillance of Epstein-Barr virus loads in adult liver transplantation: associations with age, sex, posttransplant times, and transplant indications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a life-threatening complication after adult orthotopic liver transplantation (AOLT). Besides EBV and immunosuppression, relatively little is known about the pretransplant clinical parameters associated with the risk of PTLD, and the benefit of using EBV surveillance to predict EBV-associated disease in AOLT patients is uncertain. The aims of this single-center study were to monitor EBV viral loads (VLs) in AOLT patients and to investigate any associations with age, sex, cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus, posttransplant times, and indications for transplantation. 1275 blood samples that were collected from 197 AOLT patients 1 day to more than 15 years after transplantation were investigated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction for EBV and CMV DNA. Seventy-two percent of the patients had EBV DNAemia less than 100 days after transplantation without clinical manifestations. No association was observed between the EBV copy numbers and the time since transplantation. EBV DNAemia was weakly associated with male sex but was not associated with age, CMV serostatus, or indications for AOLT. The highest EBV VL levels were observed in patients who presented with congenital liver diseases, whereas patients with viral hepatitis maintained high EBV VLs after transplantation. None of the patients developed PTLD during the study period; however, 3 patients presented with EBV-associated diseases. In conclusion, EBV DNAemia is common in AOLT patients, and routine EBV surveillance has limited value for predicting EBV-associated morbidity or mortality.

Long-term management of the liver transplant recipient: pearls for the practicing gastroenterologist

Liver transplantation is becoming more common and patients are surviving longer after transplantation. Special care must be paid to the long-term management of these patients because they are at increased risk for medical problems, malignancies, and adverse effects from immunosuppression. A stable and continuing relationship must be developed between the physician and the patient to optimize the long-term outcomes for these individuals.