Renal transplantation: complicationsNumber of acquired melanocytic nevi in renal transplant recipients as a risk factor for melanoma
Section snippets
Patients and methods
The study included 115 consecutive renal allograft recipients (78 males and 37 females) who attended the Renal Transplantation Unit at Baskent University for routine check-up examinations between March and October 2001. The mean patient age was 32.8 ± 10.8 years (range, 18 to 61 years), and the mean time since transplantation was 55.4 ± 54.6 months (range, 2 months to 24 years). Because the number of melanocytic nevi can be influenced by duration of immunosuppression, we divided the patients
Results
Table 1 lists the clinical details for the RTRs. None of the patients had any personal or family history of melanoma. None of the patients’ melanocytic nevi were suspicious for melanoma, so no excisional biopsies were needed. The questionnaire revealed that 7.8% of the RTR group and 35% of the control group had had episodes of sunburn with blistering and that none of the RTRs had been treated with ultraviolet (UV) light therapy for uremic pruritus. Due to the small number of subjects with skin
Discussion
Immunosuppression is a well-demonstrated pathogenetic mechanism for skin cancer, including melanoma.15, 16 Immunodeficiency due to various causes (drug-induced or cancer-induced, eg) is associated with increased incidence of melanoma.16 Clinically atypical nevi and large numbers of acquired melanocytic nevi are the most important risk factors for melanoma. Young age, male gender, and fair skin with light-colored hair and eyes are the major host factors, while solar UV radiation is considered
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Skin cancer and immunosuppression
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2009, Archives of DermatologyCommon Benign Neoplasms of Melanocytes
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2007, Medical Complications of Kidney Transplantation