Primary lung cancer in lung transplant recipients

Abstract

Risk factors for lung cancer in lung transplant recipients are a history of smoking and immunosuppression, to which adds increasing use of lungs from donors with a smoking history. The three typical presentations are incidental diagnosis on the explanted lung, concerning less than 2%; lung cancer developing on the lung graft, accounting for less than 1%; and incidence of lung cancer on the native lung, estimated at 9%. Treatment along available guidelines may be hampered by decreased lung function owing to chronic rejection or adverse effects of immunosuppression. Prognosis is comparable to a general population in resected stage I cancer and is less favorable in advanced stages.