Expert: Organ screening is rigorous but not infallible
Organs being prepared for transplant are subjected to a rigorous screening but the process is not infallible, according to experts.
Dr Michael Porter said the donor’s medical records and any relevant scans are reviewed and the organ itself is examined for any signs of a tumour.
But the researcher in molecular genetics and medicine said: “The screening is rigorous but can only see so much. Cancers are forming all the time in people.”
Dr Porter, of Central Lancashire University, said that even when a tumour is spotted, some cancers are deemed safe enough for transplant.
“All relevant medical records and any scans are reviewed, but the organs are also screened for visible tumours.
“If doctors can see a tumour, small parts of it can be examined under a microscope to spot if it is aggressive and likely to spread. “Anyone who has a brain, lung, blood, bowel or melanoma would usually be automatically excluded, except in rare and extreme circumstances. “Tumours are very common, but thankfully they’re normally benign.
“However, for all donors deemed safe to donate, there is a 0.06% chance of the recipient developing cancer. “Research on 27,000 potential donors showed that 4,500 had to be excluded because they had recently had cancer.” So what are the chances of getting cancer from a transplant?
A UK study looked at 15,000 donors who gave to 31,000 recipients and 18 of those patients developed cancer. Those patients who get organs are fighting cancer on two fronts.
They have a small risk from the donor organ and another from having their body’s own natural defence system – the immune system – turned down by drugs to allow them to accept a transplant.