Researcher Spotlight: Evelyn Orlando, MD

Weill Cornell Medicine

Kaine Family Scholar

Immunosuppressant medications used to prevent rejection after organ transplant can increase the likelihood of infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV infection in immunosuppressed individuals can lead to a variety of complications, including increased risk for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) and lymphoma. Strategies such as antiviral treatment or discontinuation of immunosuppressants that are sometimes used to try to manage these complications have not been found to prevent the development of lymphoma, highlighting the need for alternative options for transplant recipients. 

Rituximab is a targeted antibody therapy used in the treatment of lymphoma, and Dr. Orlando is interested in understanding whether it can be used to prevent lymphoma in transplant recipients who develop EBV infection. “We previously conducted a chart review study at Columbia University and found that rituximab use in transplant recipients with EBV is associated with a reduction in the rate of PTLD as compared with patients who did not receive rituximab,” she explains. Now she plans to rigorously test this treatment in a randomized, controlled trial. “We want to more definitively determine whether rituximab use in transplant recipients with high EBV levels can effectively reduce their level of EBV and, in so doing, prevent the development of lymphoma.”

Dr. Orlando’s interest in lymphoma research and PTLD began during her time as a resident at Columbia University. “The first patient I met on my very first day of intern year was a heart transplant recipient, who was admitted to the hospital for expedited evaluation of newly diagnosed PTLD after developing a lump in his neck,” she explains. “I remember being struck by the injustice of a person surviving a heart transplant, only to have to grapple with a diagnosis of lymphoma.” Since then, she has been committed to helping address the unmet needs of patients with PTLD. “My motivation to keep working towards better strategies for treating lymphoma comes directly from my experiences taking care of patients,” she says. “My interactions with patients and families in the clinic ground me in the importance of and impetus for research and progress in improving the lives of patients with lymphoma.”