Multicenter retrospective cohort study of cancer mortality after kidney transplantation

Kidney transplant (KT) recipients are at increased risk of developing certain cancers, but their cancer mortality is not well documented. A retrospective cohort study of 7373 KT recipients at 17 centers in Italy found that cancer was the most common cause of death, accounting for 32% of all deaths. For all cancers combined, KT recipients had a 1.8-fold excess mortality; the highest excess death risks were seen with lymphomas (SMR 6.17), kidney cancers (SMR 5.44), and cutaneous melanoma (SMR 3.19). The authors conclude that these results suggest a need for increased cancer surveillance among KT recipients (visual abstract).