Metastatic malignant melanoma transplanted via a renal homograft: a case report

A case of transplantation of a malignant melanoma via a cadaver renal homograft is presented. The recipient developed a widespread malignancy ninteen months after renal transplantation. At autopsy the tumor was diagnosed as a malignant melanoma. Autopsy of the donor had previously revealed a spindle cell malignancy in the spleen. It is postulated that the splenic tumor in the donor represents a spindle cell variant of malignant melanoma, and hence this malignancy was inadvertently transferred to the recipient via the renal homograft.