Prostate Cancer Screening and Management in Solid Organ Transplant Candidates and Recipients

The number of solid organ transplantations is increasing worldwide. Major medical advances have allowed for incremented survival in this population, which, because approximately 50% of recipients are over age 50 years, makes for an increasingly older population of transplant survivors. This article discusses controversies and current guidelines related to prostate cancer (PCa) screening, detection, and treatment for men in the general population. The relevant literature is reviewed in order to provide insights on how to optimize PCa screening, detection, and treatment pre- and post-solid organ transplantation. There is compelling evidence that immunosuppression does not increase the risk for the development or progression of PCa following solid organ transplantation. Therefore, PCa screening, detection, or treatment should not be influenced by the impact of immunosuppression on the biology of the disease. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) appears to be as reliable for PCa screening of transplant candidates and recipients as it is for the general population. There is no consensus on how or when it should be implemented. Evidence is also equivocal as to the suggested waiting time between treatment and transplantation. Surgery and radiation therapy appear to be safe and provide good outcomes for managing PCa in solid organ transplant candidates and recipients. However, certain precautions should be taken with this vulnerable population, especially for kidney transplant patients given the pelvic location of the renal graft. Partial gland ablation of PCa should be considered in appropriate candidates.