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AT-RISC: Solid Organ Transplant Recipients at Increased Risk of Skin Cancer

07/26/2007
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AT-RISC
Date Posted: 07/26/2007

REMEMBER WHAT YOUR DOCTOR TOLD YOU:
SOLID ORGAN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS AT INCREASED RISK OF SKIN CANCER

If you are a solid organ transplant recipient, chances are you received education from your doctor regarding the prevalence of skin cancer post transplantation. However, AT-RISC Alliance, which stands for After Transplantation-Reduce Incidence of Skin Cancer, reports that only 54 percent of transplant recipients remember hearing such information.

If you are among the forgetful or just the plain and simple uninformed, let this be your warning.
Here’s what you should know…

All solid organ transplant recipients are at an increased risk for developing skin cancer due to the immunosuppressant medications needed to prevent the rejection of a graft or transplant. In fact, skin cancer affects up to 70 percent of transplant recipients within 20 years.

Increased duration and dosage of immunosuppressant medications increases the likeliness of skin cancer to develop.

Let’s break it down…
In organ transplant recipients:

• Squamous cell carcinoma is 65 times more likely
• Basal cell carcinoma is 10 times more likely
• Melanoma is 4 times more likely

In a joint effort to raise awareness regarding skin cancer prevalence in solid donor transplant recipients the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS), International Transplant Skin Cancer Collaborative (ITSCC), and Transplant Recipients International Organization developed AT-RISC.

AT-RISC is dedicated to educating medical professionals as well as patients through its professional workshops, educational materials and its website (www. at-risc.org/).

For more information and materials please visit the AT-RISC website with the link provided above.