Single-Center Case Series of Donor-Related Malignancies: Rare Cases With Tremendous Impact

Donor-related malignancy is a rare complication of organ transplantation.

In this case series, we discuss three cases of donor-related cancers in kidney transplant recipients who were registered in our center between 1979 and 2015. They account for an incidence of 0.29% of donor-related malignancies of a total of 1015 transplanted kidney grafts (deceased and living donors). The three cases that we describe presented in different ways and with different severity, although the response to the initiated treatment was comparable.

All three patients not only survived their cancer episode but also had a complete oncological remission and underwent successful second kidney transplantation, accounting for a 100% survival rate in our small cohort.

Despite the very low incidence of this complication, transplant clinicians must be aware of the occurrence of donor-related malignancies when selecting a donor and should be able to diagnose and treat a case of donor-related cancer.