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Malignancy After Solid Organ Transplantation: An Overview

^aDivisions of Hematology and Medical Oncology, ^bDepartment of Pathology, and ^cDivision of Medical Oncology; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Key Words. Solid organ transplantation • Kaposi sarcoma • Lymphoproliferative disorders • Etiology • Treatment

Correspondence: Correspondence: S. Yousuf Zafar, M.D., Divisions of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, 508 Fulton Street (152), Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA. Telephone: 919-451-6726; pager: 919-970-9714; Fax: 919-681-7985; e-mail: yousuf.zafar{at}duke.edu

Received December 20, 2007; accepted for publication June 4, 2008.

ABSTRACT

With improving survival following solid organ transplantation, clinicians must be aware of post-transplant complications. One increasingly frequent complication is the development of malignancy after transplantation. The most common malignancies encountered in the post–solid organ transplant setting are nonmelanoma skin cancers, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders, and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). The pathogenesis of these tumors is likely related to the immunosuppressive drugs used post-transplantation and subsequent viral infection. Treatment involves modification of the immunosuppressive drug regimen, resection of localized disease, and chemotherapy. We present the second reported case of a patient with lung transplantation who developed KS in the lung graft.