NHS insists all organ donors are rigorously tested before transplant
The NHS transplant service has expressed their sympathy to both families but say every possible test was done on the donor’s organs.
Professor John Forsythe, the medical director for Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), said: “Our thoughts are with the recipients and their families.
“We can’t talk about the medical history of the donor or the recipients but we can confirm that an investigation found all processes were followed correctly.”
Professor Forsythe, an honorary professor at Edinburgh University and consultant transplant surgeon at the city’s Royal Infirmary, said potential organ donors are subjected to a series of tests before any transplants are carried out.
These include blood tests, scans, X-ray, physical examination of the organs and an examination of medical records.
Speaking after The Sunday Post revealed two patients had been given lethal cancer by their new organs, Professor Forsythe said: “Donation and transplantation has to take place quickly and usually follows an unexpected death. “In very rare cases it is possible the donor has a very small tumour which cannot be picked up by the tests which can be performed in the limited time available prior to transplant. This means the transmission of an undiagnosed cancer is a known risk, although it is very rare. Our research found the risk of transmission of a previously undiagnosed cancer from a donor to a recipient is less than one in 2,000 organs.”
When an undiagnosed cancer is suspected, but not confirmed, this concern will be passed on to the surgeons transplanting the organ. It is then up to the recipient surgeon to decide whether to go ahead.
The NHSBT says all organs carry a degree of risk, but that risk must be balanced against the risk of not going ahead with the transplant and waiting for another organ to become available.
Research published in 2014 found only 1.1% of donors had some history of cancer.
Professor Forsythe added: “Organ transplants have saved tens of thousands of lives and they depend on the generosity and bravery of families donating a relative’s organs.”