Patients with new kidney face higher skin cancer risk due to drugs

KIDNEY transplant patients face an increased risk of skin cancer due to anti-rejection medications, according to new research.

The study by the National Cancer Registry and National Kidney Transplant Service in Beaumont Hospital found that skin cancer risk falls when the transplant fails and the patients return to dialysis.

But the risk rises again when they receive another transplant.

However, the rate of skin cancer is still higher in patients with failed transplants than pre-transplant patients on dialysis.

Due to this pattern of skin cancer rates, the data suggests the cancer risk is related to the stopping and starting of anti-rejection medications.

Lead author Dr Donal Sexton, of Beaumont Hospital, said: “In recipients of multiple kidney transplants, the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer fell during periods defined by transplant failure, but there was still an elevated risk.

“The incidence of cancer overall highlights the need for continued cancer surveillance during graft failure.”

The study analysed the rates of cancer in 3,821 individual deceased and living kidney transplant recipients.

Of the patients analysed, 3,215 recipients had one transplant, 522 recipients had a second and 84 recipients had three.