Introduction: Kidney transplant (KTx) patients on immunosuppressive therapy are predisposed to the development
of infections and cancers.
Aim: To compare the incidence and type of malignant skin lesions in kidney transplant patients and the dialyzed
population based on the initiated dermatologic screening.
Material and methods: The study included 598 patients: 486 kidney transplant recipients and 112 patients on maintenance
dialysis. All the patients underwent dermatological examination. Only histologically confirmed cancers were
included in this study. Age, gender and immunosuppressive therapy administration were also considered. Patients
were followed up by a dermatologist for a period of 5 years.
Results: Fifty-eight skin cancers; 39 basal cell carcinomas (BCC), 13 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), 1 Bowen
disease, 2 Kaposi sarcoma, 1 malignant melanoma, 1 Merkel cell carcinoma, and 1 fibrosarcoma protuberans were
diagnosed in 30 (6.2%) kidney transplant patients, and 8 lesions (7 BCC and 1 SCC) were found in 4 (3.6%) patients
on dialysis.
Conclusions: The initiated dermatologic screening program indicates that the risk of skin cancer incidence in post
kidney transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy was significantly higher than in patients on dialysis