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. 2025 Mar 20;18(4):sfaf077.
doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfaf077. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Cancer risks in people on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients: a Catalan cohort study, 2003-21

Laia Oliveras  1   2   3 , Laura Pareja  4   5 , Josepa Ribes  4   6   7 , Jordi Comas  8 , Carlos Couceiro  1   2 , Àlex Favà  1 , Sergi Codina  1   2 , Ana Coloma  1 , Anna Manonelles  1   2 , Nuria Lloberas  2 , Edoardo Melilli  1   2 , Elisenda Martinez-Carbonell  9 , Jordi Gálvez  4 , Sonia Mosteiro  4 , Jaume Tort  8 , Josep M Borràs  6   7 , Josep M Cruzado  1   2 , Nuria Montero  1   2
Affiliations

Cancer risks in people on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients: a Catalan cohort study, 2003-21

Laia Oliveras et al. Clin Kidney J. .

Abstract

Background: People with kidney failure have a higher risk of cancer compared with age- and sex-matched individuals in the general population, yet data from southern Europe are limited. This study explores cancer incidence in the kidney failure population in Catalonia.

Methods: We identified cancer cases through linkage of the Catalan Kidney Registry with Catalan cancer databases. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for all-site and site-specific cancers in people on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients.

Results: We described the epidemiology of cancer in 21 595 people on dialysis and 8037 kidney transplant recipients in Catalonia (2003-21). Cancer risk was more than two times higher in people on dialysis (SIR 2.11, 95% CI 2.02-2.19) and nearly four times higher in kidney transplant recipients (SIR 3.82, 95% CI 3.65-3.99) compared with the general population. Risks varied by cancer site, with a significantly higher incidence of kidney and thyroid cancers in the dialysis cohort, and skin cancer in the transplant cohort. The highest cancer risks were observed in the youngest, those with glomerular diseases, and those with the longest time since transplantation.

Conclusions: People with kidney failure face a high burden of cancer, particularly after kidney transplantation. Understanding the epidemiology of cancer in the kidney failure population is crucial for shaping health policies.

Keywords: cancer epidemiology; cancer risks; dialysis; kidney failure; kidney transplant.

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Conflict of interest statement

Josep M. Cruzado is member of the CKJ Editorial Board. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Risk of all-site and site-specific cancer in people on dialysis (A) and kidney transplant recipients (B) compared with the general population.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Risk of all-site cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in people on dialysis and kidney transplant recipients compared with the general population, by demographics, comorbidities and received treatments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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