Low incidence of malignancy in heart-transplant recipients in Taiwan: an update and comparison with kidney-transplant recipients
Journal
European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery
Journal Volume
37
Journal Issue
5
Pages
1117-1121
Date Issued
2010
Author(s)
Abstract
Objective: Malignancy is the leading cause of death among heart-transplant recipients. There is a higher incidence of post-transplant malignancy in heart-transplant recipients than in kidney-transplant recipients. This study sought to assess the incidence of malignancy in heart-transplant recipients in Taiwan. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review. Results: From 1987 to 2008, 291 patients who underwent heart transplantation and survived for more than 1 month were enrolled. Seventeen patients (5.8%) developed de novo malignancies including skin cancers (three), post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases (seven) and solid-organ malignancies (seven). Solid-organ malignancies affected prostate, liver, urinary bladder, kidney, lung, larynx, pancreas and brain in seven patients. Malignancy was responsible for 7% and 13% of all death for heart-transplant recipients who lived for more than 1 year and more than 5 years. The cumulative incidence of 1.03% at 1 year, 4.2% at 5 years and 8.1% at 10 years in our patients was much lower than the incidences reported in the multicentre registry of the International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation and in the Western series. The incidence was especially low for skin cancers. Compared with previous reports of kidney-transplant recipients in Taiwan, the incidence of post-transplant malignancy was not significantly increased. Conclusions: The incidence of post-transplant malignancy was low in Chinese heart-transplant recipients compared with heart-transplant recipients in Western countries. It resulted from a relative rarity of skin cancers in the Chinese population. ? 2009 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
SDGs
Other Subjects
azathioprine; cyclosporin; methylprednisolone sodium succinate; mycophenolic acid 2 morpholinoethyl ester; prednisone; tacrolimus; thymocyte antibody; acute graft rejection; adolescent; adult; aged; article; bladder cancer; brain cancer; cancer incidence; cancer registry; cardiac allograft vasculopathy; child; congestive cardiomyopathy; controlled study; drug blood level; drug dose reduction; female; graft failure; graft infection; graft rejection; heart transplantation; human; immunosuppressive treatment; infant; ischemic heart disease; kidney cancer; kidney function; kidney transplantation; larynx cancer; liver cancer; lung cancer; lymphoproliferative disease; major clinical study; male; malignant neoplastic disease; morbidity; mortality; pancreas cancer; priority journal; prostate cancer; skin cancer; solid tumor; sudden death; survival rate; Taiwan; treatment indication; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Child, Preschool; Epidemiologic Methods; Female; Heart Transplantation; Humans; Immunosuppression; Infant; Kidney Transplantation; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Taiwan; Young Adult
Type
journal article