De novo renal cell carcinoma of native and graft kidneys in renal transplant recipients

OBJECTIVE • To access the epidemiological, clinical and survival features of renal transplant patients with de novo renal cell carcinoma of native and graft kidneys. PATIENTS AND METHODS • We performed a retrospective examination of the data of 2001 consecutive renal transplant recipients at our centre between November 1979 and January 2010. RESULTS • In the patient cohort examined, 30 renal cell carcinomas were observed in 26 individuals (incidence 1.5%) with 25 tumours in the native and five in allograft kidneys. Mean tumour size in surgical specimens was 44 ± 36 mm. The rate of papillary cancer was 37.5%. • After a mean follow-up of 58.6± 62.3 months, 15.4% of the patients died from cancer and 57.7% were in complete remission. • Overall and tumour-specific survival rates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 86.1%, 75.1% and 43.8%, and 90.4%, 83.5% and 66.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS • Due to increasingly improved survival after renal transplantation, de novo malignancies might soon become the main cause of intermediate- or long-term mortality. • Current data support an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma in renal transplant recipients in a particularly aggressive way, but low tendency for metachronous contralateral evolution. • With continuous radiological follow-ups, acceptable oncological outcome can be achieved. Graft tumours may have a favourable prognosis.