Surgical intervention for skin cancer in organ transplant recipients

Abstract

An important complication of solid organ transplantation and chemical immunosuppression is the potential for the development of multiple skin cancers, especially squamous cell carcinomas [1]. The magnitude and severity of these malignancies are troublesome. They are often multiple, are associated with verrucal lesions, are more likely to occur at a younger age, and have a higher recurrence rate than in those who do not receive transplants, are capable of rapid growth, have an aggressive histological growth pattern [2,3], and are prone to metastasis on the trunk and extremities as well as the head and neck. © 2009 Springer US.