Epidemiologic study on the origin of cancer after kidney transplantation

Background. Subjects who underwent solid organ transplantation are at higher risk for a wide variety of cancers. Methods. The authors investigated the origin of cancer in a cohort of 2,526 patients followed up for 60.7±35.6 months after kidney transplantation between 1990 and 2000 in seven transplant centers. Results. One hundred four of them developed cancer. All subjects who developed solid cancer within 6 months after transplantation (n = 10) and a group of subjects who developed solid cancer after 6 months posttransplant (n = 10) were selected. Short tandem repeat analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens of tumors and on both donor and recipient pretransplant peripheral blood. Biologic material was obtained in 17 of the 20 selected patients (85.0%). The analysis showed that 16 of 17 tumors were genetically identical to the recipient. Conclusions. The authors' results suggest that donor transmission of solid cancer is an unlikely event in their population.