Abstract: SA-PO1054
Transplanting Patients with a History of Cancer: A Review of 35 Years of US Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Data
Session Information
- Transplantation: Clinical - Postkidney Transplant Outcomes and Potpourri
November 08, 2025 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Transplantation
- 2102 Transplantation: Clinical
Authors
- Adrogue, Horacio E., Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States
- Tolani, Renuka, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States
- Edwards, Angelina, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States
Background
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in both ESRD patients and kidney transplant recipients. Published data from the Transplant Center Match Study (a linkage of SRTR data from 1987 to current using 33 state and regional transplant registries found only 11,030 of 311,677 (3.5%) had one pre-transplant cancer and only 1284 (0.4%) had two or more cancers prior to transplant. Pretransplant cancer increased from 2% to 5.6% over the last decade and almost 2 million new cancer cases are expected in 2022.
Methods
SRTR data was requested from 290 kidney transplant programs between 1989-2023 asking how many patients transplanted had a pretransplant diagnosis of cancer. We selected the top 5 programs by volume comparing recipients with vs.without a history of cancer.
Results
The programs that performed the most transplants in this group were in states with older populations.
The programs with the highest total yearly transplants performed proportionally fewer transplants for cancer survivors.
The three progrems in the Texas Medical Center combined only transplanted 418 patients with a history of cancer since 1989.
Conclusion
Despite the USA leading the world in total number of kidney transplants, we offer very few organs to those with a history of cancer.
The 10 year life expectency of a kidney transplant recipient with a history of two pretransplant cancers is 51% vs.17% in patietns remaining on dialysis.
The kidney discard rate in the USA is 18%. These organs could be offered to this patient population.
Each transplant center should develop an individualized, thoughtful, data-driven protocol for offering more organs to this neglected patient population.
Top 5 transplant centers comparing 1 year all recipients of kidney transplant vs. 35 years of recipients with a pre-transplant history of cancer
| 2022 (1 year data) | 1989-2023 (35 years of data) | ||
| Transplant Program | all kidney transplants | Deceased donor, history of cancer | Live donor, history of cancer |
| U. of California San Francisco Medical Center | 365 | 280 | 159 |
| Methodist Specialty & Transplant Hospital, San Antonio, TX | 323 | 119 | 210 |
| U. of California Los Angeles Medical Center | 322 | 143 | 94 |
| Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL | 317 | 325 | 89 |
| U. of California Davis Medical Center | 313 | 280 | 99 |
Funding
- Clinical Revenue Support