Comparative epidemiologic study of premalignant and malignant epithelial cutaneous lesions developing after kidney and heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous carcinomas are the most frequent cancers in organ transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the epidemiologic data of cutaneous premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions in kidney and heart transplant recipients.

METHODS: A total of 580 kidney and 150 heart transplant recipients were examined for the presence of premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions.

RESULTS: A twofold increase in incidence of premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions was found in heart compared with kidney transplant recipients. Heart transplant recipients were older at transplantation, received more intense immunosuppressive treatment, and had a shorter delay from transplantation to the development of the first lesion. The squamous cell carcinoma/basal cell carcinoma ratio was 2.37:1 in kidney and 1.08:1 in heart transplant recipients. The extracephalic location represented 60% of the premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions in kidney and 30% in heart transplant recipients.

CONCLUSION: Cutaneous premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions in kidney and heart transplant recipients show epidemiologic differences that can tentatively be explained by the older age and the more intense immunosuppressive treatment of heart transplant recipients.