High prevalence of skin cancers and actinic keratoses in lung transplant recipients

Increased risk of malignancy is a major complication of lung transplantation. Keratinocyte cancers (KC), namely cutaneous squamous cell cancers (SCCs) and basal cell cancers (BCCs), are a particular risk, and cause high morbidity and some mortality among lung transplant recipients (LTRs).1 Actinic keratoses (AKs) are potentially premalignant skin lesions strongly associated with SCC although the AK burden in LTR has not been specifically measured. The heightened risks of skin cancer and AKs are due to two main factors, high-dose immunosuppression and sun exposure, but their relative contributions are unknown.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Source Type: research