De novo malignancies following liver transplantation: results from a multicentric study in central and southern Italy, 1990-2008.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to quantify incidence rates (IR) and risks of de novo tumors (except nonmelanoma skin cancers) in patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in central and southern Italy. METHODS: Data were collected on 1675 patients (75.5% males) who underwent OLT in six Italian transplantation centers in central and southern Italy (1990-2008). The time at risk of cancer (person years [PY]) was computed from OLT to the date of cancer diagnosis, death, or last follow-up, whichever occurred first. The number of observed cancer cases were compared with the expected one using data from population-based cancer registries. We computed gender- and age-standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During 10,104.3 PYs (median follow-up, 5.2 years), 98 patients (5.9% of the total) were diagnosed with a de novo malignancy (for a total of 100 diagnoses). Twenty-two of these cancers were post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD; 18 non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL] and 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL]), 6 were Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), and 72 were solid tumors (19 head and neck [H&N], 13 lung, 11 colon-rectum, 6 bladder, and 4 melanoma). The overall incidence was 9.9 cases/10(3) PYs, with a 1.4-fold significantly increased SIR (95% CI, l.2-1.7). Significantly increased SIRs were observed for KS (37.3), PTLD (3.9), larynx (5.7), melanoma (3.1), tongue (7.1), and H&N (4.5) cancers. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirmed that OLT patients are at greater risk for cancer, mainly malignancies either virus-associated or related to pre-existent factors (eg, alcohols). These observations point to the need to improve cancer surveillance after OLT. The on-going enrollment of patients in the present cohort study will help to elucidate the burden of cancer after OLT and better identify risk factors associated with its development.

[Management of biohazard in health care settings]. / Gestione del rischio biologico in ospedale.

The management of biohazard in health care settings entails multidisciplinarity, valuing the interactions among stakeholders (General Manager, Medical Director, health care workers, prevention and protection units, infection control panels, occupational physicians), with the aim of protecting health and safety of workers, third parties and the health care service. The management issue was tackled within SIMLII guidelines on biohazards, as well as by the SIMLII Section on Preventive Medicine for Health Care Workers, followed by editorial initiatives. This contribution focuses on afield example on the management of data stemming from accidents involving biohazards, highlighting the need of information technology enabling management of enormous amount of health data. This work underlines the primacy of individual risk assessment and management, while combining information on working techniques and procedures with modern health surveillance, on the basis of accredited literature and good medical, organizational and technical practices.

Comparison of de novo tumours after liver transplantation with incidence rates from Italian cancer registries.

AIM: The purpose of this study is to describe de novo post-liver transplant malignancies and compare their frequency with incidence rates from Italian cancer registries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four hundred and seventeen patients subjected to liver transplantation, from 1991 to 2005, surviving for at least 30 days and without a previous diagnosis of cancer (including hepatocellular carcinoma), were evaluated for the development of de novo malignancies excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. RESULTS: During a total follow-up time of 2856 person-years, 43 de novo malignancies were diagnosed in 43 liver transplantation recipients (10.3%). The most common cancers were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (9 cases), cancer of the head and neck (8 cases), Kaposi's sarcoma (6 cases) and esophageal carcinoma (5 cases). The 1, 3, 5 and 10 years estimated survival rates were 69%, 57%, 53% and 42%. Patients with de novo cancers had a lower 10-year survival rate than patients without cancers (58% versus 76%, p=0.005). The risk of cancer after liver transplantation was nearly 3-fold higher than that of the general population of the same age and sex (95% CI: 1.9-3.6). De novo tumour sites or types with significantly elevated SIR included Kaposi's sarcoma (SIR=144), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR=13.8), esophagus (SIR=23.4), head and neck cancers (SIR=7) and cervix uteri (SIR=30.7). CONCLUSIONS: Tumours after liver transplantation are associated with lower long-term survival, confirming that cancer is a major cause of late mortality in liver transplantation.

Risk of Kaposi sarcoma after solid-organ transplantation: multicenter study in 4,767 recipients in Italy, 1970-2006.

Given the high prevalence of infection with human herpesvirus type 8, Italy is an area of utmost interest for studying Kaposi sarcoma (KS). We investigated the risk of KS in transplant recipients compared with the general population. A longitudinal study was performed from 1970 to 2006 in 4767 kidney, heart, liver, and lung transplant recipients from 7 Italian transplantation centers. The sample included 72.3% male patients with an overall patient median age of 48 years. Patient-years (PYs) at risk for KS were computed from 30 days posttransplantation to the date of KS, death, last follow-up, or study closure (December 31, 2007). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals were computed to quantify the risk of KS in transplant recipients compared with the general Italian population. Incidence rate ratios were computed to identify risk factors using adjusted Poisson regression. Based on 33,621 PYs, KS was diagnosed in 73 patients (62 men): 31 in kidney recipients, 27 in heart recipients, 8 in liver recipients, and 7 in lung recipients. The overall incidence was 217 cases per 10(5) PYs, with a significantly increased SIR of 125. SIR was particularly high in women (n = 34) and lung recipients (n = 428) but decreased significantly with time posttransplantation. The primary predictors of increased risk of KS were male sex, older age, and lung transplantation. A 5-fold reduction was observed after 18 months posttransplantation. After adjustment, patients born in southern Italy compared with northern Italy demonstrated a significant 2.2-fold increased risk. Our findings confirm that in the early posttransplantation period, Italian patients who have undergone solid-organ transplantation, particularly those from southern Italy and those who are lung recipients, are at greater risk of KS compared with the general population. These findings underscore the need for appropriate models for monitoring transplant recipients for KS, especially those at greater risk and, in particular, in the early postoperative period.