Skin Cancer a Risk for Nonwhite Recipients of Organ Transplants

The risk for new skin cancers is magnified over time with continued exposure to immunosuppression after organ transplantation. Although data detail the incidence of skin cancer in patients with darker skin types, the data are limited among nonwhite organ transplant recipients.

Christina Lee Chung, MD, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and colleagues described demographic and clinical factors and the risk of skin cancer in nonwhite organ transplant recipients in a medical records review with 413 patients, of whom 62.7% were nonwhite organ transplant recipients.

The authors identified 19 new skin cancers in 15 nonwhite patients (5.8%): 6 black patients, 5 Asian patients, and 4 Latino patients.

All the skin cancers in black patients were diagnosed at an early stage and most skin cancers in Asian patients were found on sun-exposed areas. While nonmelanoma skin cancers were found in sun-exposed areas and on lower extremities of Latino patients, few conclusions can be drawn because of the limited data.

Study limitations include the small proportion of patients with skin cancer.

"Nonwhite organ transplant patients represent a unique group with specialised medical needs; thus, more knowledge on risk factors, appropriate screening methods, and counselling points are essential for providing comprehensive dermatologic care for these patients," the authors concluded.