The risk factors associated with treatment-related mortality in 16,073 kidney transplantation-A nationwide cohort study

Cancer among kidney transplant recipients >20 years after transplantation: post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder remains the most common cancer type in the ultra long-term

Background

Cancer risk is increased by 2- to 4-fold in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) compared with the general population. Little attention, however, has been given to KTRs with ultra long-term survival >20 years.

Methods

We studied 293 of 1241 KTRs (23.6%), transplanted between 1981 and 1999, who showed kidney allograft survival >20 years. These long-term survivors were analysed for cancer development, cancer type, cancer-associated risk factors and patient and allograft outcomes.

Results

By 10, 20 and 30 years post-transplantation, these long-term KTRs showed a cancer rate of 4.4%, 14.6% and 33.2%, and a non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) rate of 10.3%, 33.5% and 76.8%, respectively. By recipients' ages of 40, 60 and 80 years, KTRs showed a cancer rate of 3.4%, 14.5% 55.2%, and a NMSC rate of 1.7%, 31.6% and 85.2%, respectively. By 30 years post-transplantation, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) showed the highest incidence of 8.5%, followed by renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with 5.1%. Risk factors associated with the development of cancer were only recipient age (P = 0.016). Smoking history was associated with the risk of lung cancer (P = 0.018). Risk factors related to the development of NMSC included recipient age (P = 0.001) and thiazide diuretics (P = 0.001). Cancer increased the risk of death by 2.4-fold (P = 0.002), and PTLD increased the risk of kidney allograft loss by 6.5-fold (P = 0.001). No differences were observed concerning the development of donor-specific antibodies (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

In long-term KTRs, cancer is a leading cause of death. PTLD remains the most common cancer type followed by RCC. These results emphasize the need for focused long-term cancer surveillance protocols.

The risk factors for treatment-related mortality within first three months after kidney transplantation

Mortality at an early stage after kidney transplantation is a disastrous event. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) within 1 or 3 months after kidney transplantation has been rarely reported. We designed a cohort study using the national Korean Network for Organ Sharing database that includes information about kidney recipients between 2002 and 2016. Their demographic, and laboratory data were collected to analyze risk factors of TRM. A total of 19,815 patients who underwent kidney transplantation in any of 40 medical centers were included. The mortality rates 1 month (early TRM) and 3 months (TRM) after transplantation were 1.7% (n = 330) and 4.1% (n = 803), respectively. Based on a multivariate analysis, older age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.044), deceased donor (HR = 2.210), re-transplantation (HR = 1.675), ABO incompatibility (HR = 1.811), higher glucose (HR = 1.002), and lower albumin (HR = 0.678) were the risk factors for early TRM. Older age (HR = 1.014), deceased donor (HR = 1.642), and hyperglycemia (HR = 1.003) were the common independent risk factors for TRM. In contrast, higher serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (HR = 1.010) was associated with TRM only. The identified risk factors should be considered in patient counselling, and management to prevent TRM. The recipients assigned as the high-risk group require intensive management including glycemic control at the initial stage after transplant.

Incidence of malignancy and related mortality after kidney transplantation: a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Korea

Post-transplant malignancy (PTM) is a leading cause of premature mortality among kidney transplantation recipients. However, population-based cohort studies that cover incidence, mortality, and risk factors for PTM are rarely reported, especially in East Asia. We designed a retrospective cohort study using a national population-based database. A total of 9915 kidney recipients between 2003 and 2016 were included. During this period, 598 cases (6.0%) of de novo PTM occurred. The most common PTM was thyroid cancer (14.2%), followed by colorectal (11.2%), kidney (10.7%), and stomach cancers (8.9%). The standardised incidence ratio for all-site cancer was 3.9. The risks of Kaposi sarcoma (192.9) and kidney cancer (21.1) were more than 10 times those of the general population. Cancer-related deaths were 89 (14.9%) with liver cancer being the highest (14.6%), followed by lung cancer (13.5%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (12.4%), stomach cancer (9.0%), and colorectal cancer (7.9%). The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was slightly elevated (1.4). A notable increase in SMR was observed for lymphoma (9.3 for Hodgkin lymphoma and 5.5 for NHL). Older age and graft failure were significantly related to PTM. These findings reflecting geographical variation have implications for the development of strategies for fatal cancers to prevent premature deaths from PTM.