[Skin cancers after organ transplants].
Squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are the most common cancers after transplants, affecting more than half of all patients in the long term. In the 5 years after a first squamous cell carcinoma, 90 to 100% of transplant patients subsequently develop multiple skin carcinomas of various types and at least 20% develop noncutaneous cancers. Management of these patients requires, beyond the usual dermatologic treatments, a revision of their immunosuppression regimen to reduce the tumor risk. New immunosuppressants that inhibit the m-TOR protein (sirolimus and everolimus) appear to offer promising perspectives, and patients treated with these drugs from the time of their transplantation have fewer skin cancers than patients with the standard protocols. On the other hand, the benefit of prescribing them later after the transplant remains to be shown, because of the frequency of intolerance phenomena. Several prospective French multicenter studies are currently assessing the effect of replacing anticalcineurins by sirolimus or everolimus for secondary prevention of skin cancers in renal or cardiac transplant patients who have already developed skin cancer. Primary prevention requires that patients be educated about strict sun protection from the transplant onwards and have a routine annual dermatologic examination enabling early treatment of lesions.
Euvrard
Sylvie
S
Service de Dermatologie, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, F- 69437 Lyon Cedex 03, France. sylvie.euvrard@numericable.fr
D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014983:Xeroderma Pigmentosum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology