Year: 2003
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Transplantation of organs procured from donors with malignancies identified subsequent to implantation presents a significant dilemma regarding the optimal management strategy to simultaneously minimize the risk for cancer transmission and recipient morbidity. In this report, we present a patient who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatitis B cirrhosis. The donor had no previous history of cancer. On autopsy, enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes led to the discovery of a 1-cm lung tumor. Histological examination showed pulmonary adenocarcinoma with metastatic mediastinal disease. Despite urgent retransplantation within 7 days, the recipient developed metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma diagnosed 11 months after transplantation and died soon thereafter. Analysis of short tandem repeat regions of chromosomal DNA from the recipient, the 2 liver donors, and the posttransplantation tumor corroborates that the first donor was the source of the malignancy. This case of donor-transmitted malignancy underscores the need for vigilance by the procuring surgeon in identifying potential malignancy during organ retrieval and use of a full autopsy on selected donors after organ procurement.
Source: Liver Transplantation
Authors: Gerald S. Lipshutz, Lee Ann Baxter-Lowe, Tim Nguyen, Kirk D. Jones, Nancy L. Ascher, Sandy Feng
Institution: University of California, San Francisco
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2085194166