De novo malignancy is associated with renal transplant tourism
Journal
Kidney International
Journal Volume
79
Journal Issue
8
Pages
908-913
Date Issued
2011
Abstract
Despite the objections to transplant tourism raised by the transplant community, many patients continue travel to other countries to receive commercial transplants. To evaluate some long-term complications, we reviewed medical records of 215 Taiwanese patients (touring group) who received commercial cadaveric renal transplants in China and compared them with those of 321 transplant recipients receiving domestic cadaveric renal transplants (domestic group) over the same 20-year period. Ten years after transplant, the graft and patient survival rates of the touring group were 55 and 81.5%, respectively, compared with 60 and 89.3%, respectively, of the domestic group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The 10-year cumulative cancer incidence of the touring group (21.5%) was significantly higher than that of the domestic group (6.8%). Univariate and multivariate stepwise regression analyses (excluding time on immunosuppression, an uncontrollable factor) indicated that transplant tourism was associated with significantly higher cancer incidence. Older age at transplantation was associated with a significantly increased cancer risk; however, the risk of de novo malignancy significantly decreased with longer graft survival. Thus, renal transplant tourism may be associated with a higher risk of post-transplant malignancy, especially in patients of older age at transplantation. ? 2011 International Society of Nephrology.
SDGs
Other Subjects
basiliximab; cyclosporin; lymphocyte antibody; OKT 3; rapamycin; tacrolimus; thymocyte antibody; adult; age; article; bladder cancer; breast cancer; cadaver donor; cancer incidence; cancer risk; China; colon carcinoma; controlled study; disease association; female; graft survival; human; kidney cancer; kidney graft rejection; kidney transplantation; liver cell carcinoma; major clinical study; male; malignant neoplastic disease; medical record review; medical tourism; pancreas carcinoma; priority journal; skin cancer; Taiwan; transitional cell carcinoma; travel; ureter cancer; uterine cervix carcinoma
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Type
journal article