Cutaneous malignancies in renal transplant recipients from Nova Scotia, Canada

Four hundred and seventy-four Nova Scotian renal transplant recipients were screened, using the records of the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry and the Victoria General Hospital, in a retrospective study, for the development of cutaneous malignancies. Sixteen patients developed a total of 60 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 14 developed 28 basal cell carcinomas (BCC). The survival curve shows that within 10 years of transplant, less than 10% will develop SCC. This is a 16-fold increase above the rate of SCC in the general population of Nova Scotia, Canada. Age at time of transplantation appears to be a significant determinant of subsequent skin cancer risk. None of the previously reported HLA associations was found to hold in this small study. The role of ultraviolet radiation, due to both geographic and lifestyle exposure, is discussed when comparing to other transplant studies.