The 7th edition AJCC staging system for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma accurately predicts risk of recurrence for heart and lung transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the most common malignancy after solid organ transplantation, with an increased risk of recurrence and metastasis over the general population. The newly updated 7th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for cSCC is based on consensus expert opinion and requires validation in large cohort studies and in specific patient subpopulations.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the risk of cSCC recurrence in a high-risk population of heart and lung transplant recipients, based on the 7th edition AJCC staging system.

METHODS: We performed a 10-year retrospective cohort study of all primary cSCC diagnosed in heart and lung transplant recipients at a tertiary care academic dermatology center.

RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of local recurrence was 4% for cSCC in situ and 19% for stage I cSCC at 5 years, and 54% for stage II cSCC at 3 years. Stage II tumors had a 10-fold greater risk of recurrence than stage I, and a 43-fold greater risk of recurrence than in situ tumors.

LIMITATIONS: This study is limited to a specific patient subgroup at a tertiary care center, and may not be generalizable to all populations.

CONCLUSIONS: Heart and lung transplant recipients are at high risk for local recurrence of cSCC. These data substantiate the prognostic accuracy of the newly updated 7th edition AJCC staging system for stage 0, I, and II cSCC in this population and demonstrate the aggressive behavior of this cancer in immunosuppressed patients.