Cytomegalovirus infection and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease in renal transplant recipients: Results of the U.S. multicenter FK506 kidney transplant study group

Background. The recent U.S. multicenter randomized trial of FK506 versus cyclosporine (CsA) demonstrated equivalent patient and graft survival in patients treated with FK506 and statistically fewer rejection episodes in the first year posttransplant. Methods. To determine if more effective posttransplant immunosuppression was associated with an increased risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) or posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), we examined the incidence of these two opportunistic infections during 3 years of follow-up. Results. CMV infection occurred in 40 (19.5%) FK506 and 40 (19.3%) CsA-treated patients. The incidence of CMV disease was 9.3% in FK506 and 6.8% in CsA-treated recipients; the most common site of CMV disease was the gastrointestinal tract. A multivariate analysis of several risk factors demonstrated that a CMV^- recipient of a CMV⁺ donor was at greatest risk for CMV infection. The incidence of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease was equal in the two treatment arms: six CsA- and five FK506-treated recipients. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that the superior efficacy of FK506 in the prevention of acute rejection was not associated with an increased risk of CMV or posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease compared with CsA.