Importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation

 


Our study compared the incidence of cancer after liver transplantion with national cancer incidence rates stratified by age, sex, and calendar time.
The results show that liver transplant patients have a 2.6-fold cancer incidence in comparison with the general population. The most common cancer
types are nonmelanoma skin cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Male gender, young age, and the immediate posttransplant period present as risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, whereas old age and antibody induction therapy increase the risk for skin cancers. This study points out the importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation as well as the need for innovative immunosuppression strategies associated with less cancer risk.

 

Bibliographic Reference

Aberg F et al.: "Risk of malignant neoplasms after liver transplantation: a population-based study", Liver Transpl. 2008 Oct;14(10):1428-36

 

Fredrik Aberg

Transplantation and Liver Surgery Clinic, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland