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.