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Review
. 2022 Mar;61(1):157-165.
doi: 10.20471/acc.2022.61.01.21.

NONMELANOMA SKIN CANCER IN A HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Lorena Karla Rudež  1 , Tin Šklebar  1 , Romana Čeović  1   2
Affiliations
Review

NONMELANOMA SKIN CANCER IN A HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENT: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Lorena Karla Rudež et al. Acta Clin Croat. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common malignancies in solid organ transplant recipients. The most common types of skin cancer in these patients are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), followed by basal cell carcinoma. In immunosuppressed patients, specifically patients after solid organ transplantation, these carcinomas tend to be more aggressive and have a much higher incidence of metastasizing compared to general population. We present a case of a patient who developed numerous SCCs after successful heart transplantation. SCCs which occurred in our patient were mostly treated surgically. However, the lesion on the scalp relapsed after it had been treated surgically three times and therefore superficial x-ray radiation therapy was administered due to its localization and extensive size. In the next year, five more new SCCs occurred throughout the patient's body and all of them were removed surgically. Soon afterwards, the patient died from adenocarcinoma of the colon which rapidly progressed and metastasized.

Keywords: Heart transplantation; Immunosuppressants; Radiotherapy; Skin cancer.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Histopathologic analysis of biopsies obtained from three different locations confirmed the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The affected area four weeks of radiotherapy completion.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The primary affected area at six-month follow up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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