Cancer and Infection Screening in Potential Living Donors

Living donor transplant is a safe practice but is not completely risk free. Although both infection and malignancy transmissions have occurred through living organ donation, in the global view, the number of these events is negligible in contrast to the successful lifesaving transplants performed each year; however, an event can be devastating for the recipient, donor, and treatment team if it occurs. Each living donor is unique, and the donor evaluation is multifactorial, taking into the account the medical, social, and family history of individual donors, needs of the recipient, and determination of the anatomic and functional suitability of the donor organ. These considerations can be further complicated by geographical and temporal components. Although the balancing of all practical considerations can be complex, a thorough medical assessment for infection and malignancy of a potential living donor is central in protecting the donor and the intended transplant recipient. Good medical practice requires consistent donor evaluation and reasonable followup.