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Gene expression profiling for cardiac rejection surveillance is not predictive of post-transplantation skin cancer
Allison Hanlon1, Megan O'Neill, Fiona Fang
1Yale Dermatologic Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Background:
The risk of skin cancer in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) is 50 to 100 times as great as in those without a transplant. Multiple factors, including immunosuppression, influence the development of post-transplantation skin cancer. Individuals with cardiac transplant are serially screened for organ rejection and immunosuppressive regimen effectiveness. Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells has been established as a noninvasive test for monitoring cardiac rejection.
Objective:
We examined individuals with cardiac transplant monitored using peripheral gene expression profiling to determine whether the profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cell activity could correlate with the development of post-transplantation skin cancer.
Methods And Materials:
Sixty-one patient records were examined for initial endomyocardial biopsy results, gene expression profiling data, immunosuppressive regimens, and post-transplantation skin cancer.
Results:
There was no relationship between acute rejection and the development of skin cancer. No relationship between peripheral gene expression profiling and the development of post-transplantation skin cancer was observed. The most common skin cancer in the population was squamous cell carcinoma. SOTR suppressed with azathioprine had a significantly higher incidence of squamous cell carcinoma.
Conclusion:
Although gene expression tests have advanced transplant surveillance, they were not associated with post-transplantation skin cancer.
