Corneal transplantations from donors with cancer

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Oncology
• Transplantation Science

Background:

• Corneal donation criteria in some eye banks permit donors with active cancer (solid and hematological).
• This practice is based on the cornea's avascular nature, making metastatic spread unlikely.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the incidence of ocular metastasis in corneal donors with active malignancy.
• To assess the risk of tumor transmission through corneal transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Histopathological examination of 408 eyes from 204 donors with malignancy (active or history).
• Transplantation of 325 corneas, with recipient follow-up averaging 64.1 months.

Main Results:

• Ocular metastasis incidence was 1% overall (0.6% solid cancer, 3.7% hematological cancer).
• No tumor transmission was observed in any of the 325 corneal transplant recipients.

Conclusions:

• The risk of ocular metastasis in corneal donors with active cancer is very low.
• Corneal transplantation from donors with malignancy is highly improbable to transmit tumors if eyes are cancer-free.