Donor-Derived Ovarian Cancer in a Male Recipient After Kidney Transplant: A Case Report

Patients who receive kidney transplants and experience long-term immunosuppressive therapy are tied to higher risk of developing cancers. Reports concerning about donor-associated cancers are rarely reported, especially for male ovarian cancer.

Here we report a case of donor-derived ovarian malignancy of a man after 3 years of renal transplantation. This case complied with the Helsinki Congress and the Istanbul Declaration. The donor is the recipient's mother who developed ovarian malignancy 6 months after the transplantation surgery and died 1.5 years later after diagnosis due to tumor progression. The patient devolved into abnormal renal function 3 years after the transplantation. The transplanted kidney lost its function and was subsequently surgically removed. The ovary cancer was confirmed as high-grade serous ovarian cancer by pathology and had potentially metastasized to donor kidney. Then the male patient received regular maintenance and dialysis. Four years after transplantation, he gradually developed the symptoms of coughing and sputum and computed tomography examination revealed a lung space-occupying lesion that was confirmed to be a metastatic tumor with the same pathology as before. Platinum-based combination chemotherapy can effectively control the condition; by the last follow-up evaluation, the progression-free survival of the patient was 23.5 months, and the overall survival was 36 months.

This case demonstrates that donor-derived ovarian tumor can be transferred into the recipient via the transplanted kidney even in the male recipient. This observation provides clinicians with effective treatment options for this rare type of patient population.