Skin cancer in transplant recipients, out of the woods. Scientific retreat of the ITSCC and SCOPE

Abstract

The International Transplant Skin Cancer Collaborative (ITSCC) is an organization of more than 300 members dedicated to the study and care of skin changes that develop in solid-organ transplant recipients. This group of medical and surgical dermatologists, transplant surgeons and basic science researchers was formed to better understand the basic science of transplant dermatology, and to work collaboratively to address the clinical challenges in this patient population. Transplant patients have an ∼100-fold increased risk of developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma than the general population and are also at an increased risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. In October 2010, ITSCC and its European counterpart Skin Care in Organ Transplant Patients Europe (SCOPE) held a joint biennial 4-day scientific retreat in the woods near Essex, Massachusetts. In this meeting report we provide an up-to-date distillation of the novel findings presented in the 21 oral abstracts, at the tumor board and within the working groups.

Figure 1

Attendees of the ITSCC/SCOPE biennial scientific retreat in Essex, MA on October 16, 2010.