Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

Sebaceous hyperplasia and skin cancer in patients undergoing renal transplant.

Salim A, Reece SM, Smith AG, Harrison D, Ramsay HM, Harden PN, Fryer AA

Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: One previous study has shown a higher prevalence of sebaceous hyperplasia (SH) in patients with heart transplant on immunosuppressive drugs as compared with sex-matched control patients. OBJECTIVE: We set out to compare the prevalence of SH in a cohort of patients undergoing renal transplant with age- and sex-matched control patients and to find any association with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in these patients. METHODS: In all, 117 patients with renal transplant and 117 age- and sex-matched control patients were screened for the prevalence of SH and NMSC. RESULTS: We found that 29.9% of our patients with renal transplant had SH; 16 of 35 (45.7%) of these patients had a history of NMSC as compared with 6 of 82 (7.3%) patients without SH (P < .001, odds ratio 10.7). In the age- and sex-matched control group, a total of 28 patients (23.9%) had one or more lesions of SH. LIMITATIONS: This study is small and will require confirmation with larger cohort studies. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of patients with renal transplant we found a strong association of NMSC with SH. This association remained significant after correction of factors such as age, sex, skin type, and duration of transplant.

Published 20 October 2006 in J Am Acad Dermatol, 55(5): 878-81.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Organ Transplantation Research Today. All Rights Reserved.