Rituximab-Induced Crohn’s Disease-like Colitis Following Treatment for Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Case Report
Abstract
A man in his 40s with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation twice and developed post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), confirmed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNA in situ hybridization. Rituximab treatment achieved complete EBV clearance. However, he subsequently developed longitudinal colonic ulcers despite negative EBV RNA staining and undetectable whole-blood EBV DNA. The endoscopic findings suggested Crohn's disease-like colitis. Patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), recurrent PTLD, cytomegalovirus enteritis, or vasculitis were excluded. Treatment with an infliximab biosimilar induced clinical and endoscopic remission. This case highlights rituximab-associated Crohn's colitis as a rare but important complication.
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BibTeX
@article{higaki2026rituximabinduced,
title = {{Rituximab-Induced Crohn’s Disease-like Colitis Following Treatment for Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Case Report}},
author = {Kanako Higaki and Makoto Okabe and Rika Shimizu and Takashi Fuyuno and Yusuke Onoyama and Mio Namikawa and Hiroki Kitamoto and Seiya Bamba and Noriyoshi Yoshinaga and Junya Kanda and Hiroshi Seno},
journal = {Internal Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.2169/internalmedicine.7794-26},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7794-26/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rituximab-Induced Crohn’s Disease-like Colitis Following Treatment for Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Case Report
AU - Kanako Higaki
AU - Makoto Okabe
AU - Rika Shimizu
AU - Takashi Fuyuno
AU - Yusuke Onoyama
AU - Mio Namikawa
AU - Hiroki Kitamoto
AU - Seiya Bamba
AU - Noriyoshi Yoshinaga
AU - Junya Kanda
AU - Hiroshi Seno
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Internal Medicine
DO - 10.2169/internalmedicine.7794-26
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7794-26/_article
AB - A man in his 40s with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation twice and developed post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), confirmed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNA in situ hybridization. Rituximab treatment achieved complete EBV clearance. However, he subsequently developed longitudinal colonic ulcers despite negative EBV RNA staining and undetectable whole-blood EBV DNA. The endoscopic findings suggested Crohn's disease-like colitis. Patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), recurrent PTLD, cytomegalovirus enteritis, or vasculitis were excluded. Treatment with an infliximab biosimilar induced clinical and endoscopic remission. This case highlights rituximab-associated Crohn's colitis as a rare but important complication.
SN - 1349-7235
SN - 0918-2918
ER -