Source: DGNews  |  Posted 2 years ago

WASHINGTON, DC -- January 28, 2010 -- Measuring certain types of immune cells
may predict the high risk of skin cancer after kidney transplantation,
according to a study published early online and appearing in an upcoming issue
of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

“There are differences in the immune system, and some of these are associated
with the development of skin cancer after transplantation,” commented Robert
Carroll, MD, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, South Australia.

The researchers measured levels of key immune cells in 116 kidney transplant
recipients, 65 of whom developed squamous cell skin cancers.

“We were hoping to see if there were differences in the immune systems of
patients who developed skin cancer after transplantation compared with those
who did not develop skin cancer,” said Dr. Carroll.

The results showed that patients with high levels of Tregulatory cells together
with low levels of Natural Killer cells had risk more than 5 times higher.

The high risk of skin cancers after kidney transplantation is related to the
use of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. “Squamous cell cancer of
the skin affects about 30% of kidney transplant patients after 10 years of
immunosuppression,” explained Dr. Carroll explains. “A small number of patients
develop multiple skin cancers per year, but there is no laboratory test to
determine which transplant recipients will develop multiple skin cancers in the
future.”

If confirmed by future studies, measuring immune cells could provide a valuable
new approach to predicting the risk of skin cancer after kidney
transplantation. “If a test can confirm high risk of skin cancer development,
this may help clinicians to tailor immunosuppressive regimens for individual
patients,” said Dr. Carroll.

The study was limited to British transplant patients. Well-designed scientific
studies will be needed to determine whether the immune system test will apply
to other populations of patients around the world, with different
immunosuppressive regimens and differing exposure to ultraviolet light.

SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology