ABSTRACT
The prevalence and type of post-transplant malignancy vary among different transplant units. We hereby report on our 30-year single center experience. Between March 1976 and January 2007, 1866 kidney transplantations were carried out [1390 males and 476 females, mean age = 29.84 +/- 10.47 years]. Recipients who developed post-transplant malignancy [74 patients] were evaluated. Furthermore, characteristics of this group were compared to those of the malignancy-free recipients [1792 patients]. Seventy four patients [3.97%] developed 76 malignancies. Kaposi sarcoma was the commonest type [36.8%]. The majority of patients had cutaneous lesions and mortality was relatively low [10.7%]. Skin/oral cancers were the 4th among post-transplant malignancies [9.2%]. The majority of cases were basal cell carcinoma. In our series, two variables were identified as independent risk factors for the development of post-transplant malignancy: age and prior blood transfusion. In conclusion, posttransplant malignancy represents a continuous challenge for the outcome of kidney transplantation. Nevertheless, its prevalence and type vary due to many factors including environmental and genetic factors. In our series, Kaposi sarcoma was the commonest type dictating further evaluation of its preventive strategies and newer therapies