Management of patients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder: the role of rituximab

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a serious complication of solid organ and bone marrow transplantations. Rituximab (Rituxan, Mabthera), a chimeric monoclonal antibody to the CD20 antigen on the surface of B-cell lymphocytes, has been used increasingly in the treatment of PTLD. Rituximab was initially approved for the treatment of low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas, but multiple case studies, retrospective analyses, and phase II trials demonstrate the benefit of rituximab in PTLD. This paper reviews the current data on rituximab and its promising role in the management of PTLD.