Stent implantation in acute myocardial infarction using a heparin-coated stent: a pilot study as a preamble to a randomized trial comparing balloon angioplasty and stenting

Preliminary experience with primary stenting in myocardial infarction has suggested a greater benefit in clinical outcome than has been obtained with direct balloon angioplasty. However, subacute thrombosis (SAT) remains a limitation for this new mode of therapy. In the BENESTENT II Pilot and main trials, the incidence of SAT with the heparin-coated Palmaz-Schatz stent was only 0.15%. Therefore, as a preamble to a large randomized trial, the feasibility and safety of the use of the Heparin-Coated Palmaz-Schatz trade mark Stent in Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) was tested in 101 patients enrolled between April and September 1996 in 18 clinical centres. In 101 stent-eligible AMI patients, as dictated by protocol, a heparin-coated stent was implanted. The primary objectives were to determine the in-hospital incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE: death, MI, target lesion revascularization) and bleeding complications, while the secondary objectives were the procedural success rate and the MACE, the restenosis and reocclusion rates at 6.5 months. Stent implantation (n 3 129 stents) was successful in 97 patients of the 101 who were included in this trial. During their hospital stay, two patients died and no patient experienced re-infarction, ischaemia prompting re-PTCA or CABG. Four patients suffered a bleeding complication, three major and one minor, of whom three required surgical repair. At 210 days follow-up, 81% of the patients were event free. At 6.5 months restenosis was documented in 18% of the 88 patients who underwent follow-up angiography, including three total occlusions. The results, both with respect to QCA and the occurrence of MACE, compare favourably with studies using elective stenting in both stable and unstable angina patients. As a result of this pilot study, a large randomized trial comparing direct balloon angioplasty with direct stenting in 900 patients with AMI was initiated in December 1996.

Bypass surgery versus stenting for the treatment of multivessel disease in patients with unstable angina compared with stable angina

BACKGROUND

Earlier reports have shown that the outcome of balloon angioplasty or bypass surgery in unstable angina is less favorable than in stable angina. Recent improvements in percutaneous treatment (stent implantation) and bypass surgery (arterial grafts) warrant reevaluation of the relative merits of either technique in treatment of unstable angina. Methods and Results- Seven hundred fifty-five patients with stable angina were randomly assigned to coronary stenting (374) or bypass surgery (381), and 450 patients with unstable angina were randomly assigned to coronary stenting (226) or bypass surgery (224). All patients had multivessel disease considered to be equally treatable by either technique. Freedom from major adverse events, including death, myocardial infarction, and cerebrovascular events, at 1 year was not different in unstable patients (91.2% versus 88.9%) and stable patients (90.4% versus 92.6%) treated, respectively, with coronary stenting or bypass surgery. Freedom from repeat revascularization at 1 year was similar in unstable and stable angina treated with stenting (79.2% versus 78.9%) or bypass surgery (96.3% versus 96%) but was significantly higher in both unstable and stable patients treated with stenting (16.8% versus 16.9%) compared with bypass surgery (3.6% versus 3.5%). Neither the difference in costs between stented or bypassed stable or unstable angina ($2594 versus $3627) nor the cost-effectiveness was significantly different at 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no difference in rates of death, myocardial infarction, and cerebrovascular event at 1 year in patients with unstable angina and multivessel disease treated with either stented angioplasty or bypass surgery compared with patients with stable angina. The rate of repeat revascularization of both unstable and stable angina was significantly higher in patients with stents.

HPV subtype analysis in lower genital tract neoplasms of female renal transplant recipients

OBJECTIVE

Immunocompromised patients, such as female renal transplant recipients, have an increased incidence of neoplasms involving the lower genital tract (i.e., cervix, vagina, vulva). The relationship between lower genital tract neoplasms and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been established and high-risk oncogenic subtypes have been identified (HPV 16, 18, 45, and 56). The purpose of this study is to evaluate HPV subtypes present in lower genital tract neoplasms of post renal transplant women and compare HPV subtypes found in these patients with immunocompetent patients having similar neoplasms and normal immunocompetent controls.

METHODS

Twenty specimens from lower genital tract neoplasms of 16 renal transplant patients, 13 specimens from 13 immunocompetent patients with similar histology, and 13 patients with normal lower genital tract histology were analyzed for the presence of HPV using polymerase chain reaction. HPV primers including the L1 (late) region consensus primers and primers specific for the HPV E6 (early) region for subtypes 6, 11, 16, and 18 were amplified with DNA from the above patient samples.

RESULTS

Overall, HPV was detected in 21/46 specimens tested. Thirteen of the HPV-positive specimens were from transplant patients, and 8 were from immunocompetent patients (5 immunocompetent with disease and 3 normal patients). This difference in the total number of HPV-positive cases was statistically significant between the transplant and immunocompetent group (P = 0.02). Although no difference in HPV 6 and/or 11 was detected between the two groups, HPV subtypes 16 and/or 18 approached statistical significant difference (P = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

High-risk oncogenic HPV subtypes 16 and/or 18 were found at a higher rate in transplant patients compared with their immunocompetent counterparts. The combination of immunocompromise and increased HPV 16 and/or 18 positivity may place these patients at increased risk for aggressive lower genital tract neoplastic progression.

Post-transplant malignancy: the role of immunosuppression

Immunosuppressed organ allograft recipients have a 3- to 4-fold increased risk of developing tumours, but the risk of developing certain cancers is increased several hundredfold. With the exception of skin and lip cancers, most of the common malignancies seen in the general population are not increased in incidence. Instead, there is a higher frequency of some relatively rare tumours, including post-transplant lymphomas and lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD), Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), renal carcinomas, in situ carcinomas of the uterine cervix, hepatobiliary carcinomas, anogenital carcinomas and various sarcomas (excluding KS). Skin and lip cancers present some unusual features: a remarkable frequency of KS, reversal of the ratio of basal to squamous cell carcinomas seen in the general population, the young age of the patients, and the high incidence of multiple tumours (in 43% of the patients). Anogenital cancers occur at a much younger age than in the general population. Salient features of PTLD are the high frequency of Epstein-Barr virus-related lesions, frequent involvement of extranodal sites, a marked predilection for the brain and frequent allograft involvement. As the immunosuppressed state per se and various potentially oncogenic viruses play a major role in causing these cancers, preventative measures include reducing immunosuppression to the lowest level compatible with good allograft function and prophylactic measures against certain virus infections. Reduction of exposure to sunlight may also decrease the incidence of skin cancer. In addition to conventional treatments (resection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy) patients may receive antiviral drugs, interferon-alpha and various other manipulations of the immune system. A significant percentage of cases of PTLD and KS respond to reduction or cessation of immunosuppressive therapy.

Liver transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma: results in 207 patients

BACKGROUND

Because of the high incidence of recurrent tumor, many surgeons have become disenchanted with transplantation as a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma.

METHODS

The Cincinnati Transplant Tumor Registry database was used to examine 207 patients who underwent liver transplantation for otherwise unresectable cholangiocarcinoma or cholangiohepatoma. Specific factors evaluated included tumor size, presence of multiple nodules, evidence of tumor spread at surgery, and treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Incidentally found tumors were compared to tumors that were known or suspected to be present before transplantation.

RESULTS

The 1, 2, and 5-year survival estimates using life table analysis were 72, 48, and 23%. Fifty-one percent of patients had recurrence of their tumors after transplantation and 84% of recurrences occurred within 2 years of transplantation. Survival after recurrence was rarely more than 1 year. Forty-seven percent of recurrences occurred in the allograft and 30% in the lungs. Tumor recurrence, and evidence of tumor spread at the time of surgery, were negative prognostic variables. There were no positive prognostic variables. Patients with incidentally found cholangiocarcinomas did not have improved survival over patients with known or suspected tumors. A small number of patients survived for more than 5 years without recurrence. However, this group had no variable in common that would aid in the selection of similar patients in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of the high rate of recurrent tumor and lack of positive prognostic variables, transplantation should seldom be used as a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. For transplantation to be a viable treatment in the future, more effective adjuvant therapies are necessary.

Cancers in renal transplant recipients

Data regarding posttransplant cancers are reviewed from the Cincinnati Transplant Tumor Registry (CTTR) and from the literature. The CTTR has data on 9,688 types of cancer that developed in 9,032 renal allograft recipients. The predominant tumors are lymphomas and lymphoproliferations (PTLD), carcinomas of the skin and lips, carcinomas of the vulva and perineum, in situ carcinomas of the cervix of the uterus, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), hepatocellular carcinomas, renal carcinomas, and various sarcomas (excluding KS). Prominent features of the PTLD cases are their high incidence, frequent involvement of extranodal sites, a marked predilection for the brain, and frequent involvement of the allograft by tumor. Skin cancers also present unusual features, a remarkable high frequency of KS, reversal of the ratio of basal cell carcinomas to squamous cell carcinomas that is seen in the general population, the young age of the patients, the high incidence of multiple tumors (in 44% of patients), and the aggressive behavior of some squamous cell carcinomas. Cancers of the vulva and perineum occur at a much younger age than in the general population and are preceded by a history of condyloma acuminatum in over 57% of cases. Reduction or cessation of immunosuppressive therapy is of value in some patients with PTLD or KS but carries the risk of allograft rejection.

Merkel's cell carcinoma in organ recipients: report of 41 cases

In the general population Merkel's cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. More than 600 cases have been reported. MCC seems to be common in transplant recipients, with 41 cases being reported to the Cincinnati Transplant Tumor Registry, and another 11 in the transplant literature. In the general population, it is a disease of older adults, with only 51% of cases occurring below the age of 50 years. In transplant patients, the mean age at diagnosis was 53 (range 33-78) years, and 29% of recipients were <50 years old. The tumor appeared from 5 to 286 (mean 91.5) months after the transplant. Of 44 lesions that occurred in 41 patients, the distribution was similar to that seen in the general population, with 36% occurring on the head and neck, 32% on the upper extremities, 16% on the trunk, 9% at unknown sites, and 7% on the lower extremities. Twenty of the patients (49%) had 22 other malignancies, the great majority of which (91%) were other skin cancers. Treatment depended on the stage of the disease and included wide surgical excision, radical lymph node dissection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In transplant patients, MCC probably proved to be more aggressive than in the general population in that 68% of patients developed lymph node metastases and 56% died of their malignancies. Furthermore, one third of surviving patients still have active cancers from which they may die. Also, follow-up of survivors has been relatively short, with a mean of only 18 (range 0-135) months.

Occurrence of cancers in immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients

The findings in this study emphasize the need for lifetime follow-up of organ transplant recipients. Although, a high percentage of posttransplant tumors are low grade malignancies that are readily amenable to treatment, cancer has become a major cause of death in patients otherwise successfully treated by transplantation (14). In an Australian study of the causes of death of patients who survived for at least 10 years with a functioning renal allograft compared with those on dialysis for at least 10 years without transplantation, or with a failed transplant, showed that the proportions of deaths caused by cancer were 26%, 1% and 3%, respectively. Nonetheless the future holds promise. Attempts are being made to modify the present blunderbuss attack on the immune system with more specific methods of control of certain of its components. Much work is currently being done to induce states of immune unresponsiveness directed specifically, and only, at the foreign antigens of the allograft. Hopefully these efforts will eliminate the need for long-term or intense immunosuppressive therapy and the problem of posttransplant malignancies will be relegated to a footnote in the history of organ transplantation.

Evaluation of transplant candidates with pre-existing malignancies

A retrospective study was done of the recurrence rates of 1297 preexisting tumors in renal transplant recipients. Of 1137 neoplasms that were treated prior to transplantation, the recurrence rate was 21%, and it was 33% in 99 cancers treated after transplantation. Fifty-four percent of recurrences in the pretransplant-treated group occurred among malignancies treated within 2 years of transplantation, 33% in those treated 2-5 years before transplantation, and 13% among those treated more than 5 years pretransplantation. Among the 31 neoplasms in the last group 52% of recurrences occurred within 2 years after transplantation. Among those cancers treated pretransplantation the highest recurrence rates occurred with breast carcinomas (23%), symptomatic renal carcinomas (27%), sarcomas (29%), bladder carcinomas (29%), nonmelanoma skin cancers (53%) and multiple myeloma (67%). In the tumors treated posttransplantation 39% of recurrences were from nonmelanoma skin cancers. The bulk of evidence suggests that immunosuppressive therapy facilitates the growth of residual cancers. With some exceptions a minimum waiting period of 2 years between treatment of a neoplasm, with a favorable prognosis, and undertaking renal transplantation is desirable. A waiting period of approximately 5 years is desirable for lymphomas, most carcinomas of the breast, prostate or colon, or for large (> 5 cm) symptomatic renal carcinomas. No waiting period is necessary for incidentally discovered renal carcinomas, in situ carcinomas, and possibly tiny focal neoplasms. As it is highly unlikely that most candidates for nonrenal transplantation can be kept alive for a two year waiting period nonrenal transplantation can be undertaken in patients who have been treated for major cancers, provided that the disease appears to have been adequately controlled, and that the stage of the malignancy does not have a poor prognosis.

Transmission of cancer from organ donors

One hundred and seventeen of 270 (43%) recipients of organs obtained from donors with malignancies had evidence of transmitted cancers. In 9 instances these were removed from renal allografts immediately prior to transplantation. Including these cases there were 45 recipients of organs in which a neoplasm involved the allograft, 6 others in whom adjacent structures were invaded, and another 66 patients who had distant metastases. Precautions to prevent cancer transmission include meticulous preoperative screening of donors, careful examination of all organs at the time of harvesting, biopsy of any suspicious lesions, and routine donor autopsy, if possible.

Primary malignancies of the hepato-biliary-pancreatic system in organ allograft recipients

In a series of 10151 organ allograft recipients who developed 10813 de novo malignancies after transplantation, 755 involved the hepato-biliary-pancreatico-duodenal (HBPD) area. If nonmelanoma skin cancers and in situ carcinomas of the uterine cervix were excluded (as they are from most cancer statistics), then the HBPD area was affected by 10% of neoplasms. Many of the tumors encountered were uncommon in the general population. The largest group of neoplasms was 474 lymphomas, which comprised 63% of the total. Other major malignancies were hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC; 15%), pancreatic carcinomas (11%), cholangiocarcinomas (3%), Kaposi's sarcomas (3%), and other sarcomas (1%). Lymphomas occurred at a younger age than other tumors (average, 39 versus 50 years), appeared earlier after transplantation (average, 24 versus 77 months), and were more frequently associated with immunosuppressive therapy with the antilymphocytic agents (ALG/ATG) and/or (OKT3) (59% versus 28%). Lymphomas were localized to the HBPD area in only 18% of patients, whereas in 82% there was involvement of other organs or sites. The liver was involved in 95% of lymphomas. Lymphomas frequently involved allografts, the liver in 84%, and the pancreas in 59%. Of 292 patients treated for lymphomas 67 (23%) had complete remissions lasting 6 months or more. HCC was frequently associated with hepatitis B or C infection. Kaposi's sarcomas were rarely confined to the HBPD area, and in 25% of cases there were no associated skin lesions. An unusual subset of tumors were leiomyosarcomas involving hepatic allografts of pediatric patients. The poor prognosis of most tumors in this series may be related to delays or problems in making the diagnosis in these immunosuppressed patients and, perhaps, it may also be related to the unusually aggressive behavior of some tumors.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided optimized stent deployment. Immediate and 6 months clinical and angiographic results from the Multicenter Ultrasound Stenting in Coronaries Study (MUSIC Study)

OBJECTIVES

A study was set up to validate the safety and feasibility of intravascular ultrasound-guided stenting without subsequent anticoagulation, and its impact on the 6 months restenosis rate.

METHODS

The study was designed to be multicentred, prospective, and observational.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-one patients with stable angina and a de novo coronary artery lesion were enrolled. In four patients, the implantation of a Palmaz-Schatz (with spiral bridge) stent had failed. One of these four patients died 3 days following bypass surgery. In two other patients, intravascular ultrasound assessment was not performed. One hundred and twenty-five of the remaining 155 patients (81%) were treated with aspirin (100 mg x day(-1)), because all three criteria for optimized stent expansion were met. Twenty-two of the remaining 38 patients (25%), in whom at least one criterion was not met were treated with aspirin and acenocoumarol (3 months, INR 2.5-3.5), while 16 patients only received aspirin. Stent thrombosis was documented in two patients (1.3%) for which repeat angioplasty was performed. During the hospital stay, there were no deaths or Q-wave myocardial infarctions. Five patients (3.2%) sustained a non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. During the follow-up period (198+/-38 days, complete for all patients, except one), one patient (0.6%) sustained a Q-wave myocardial infarction, one (0.6%) underwent bypass surgery, and repeat angioplasty was performed in nine patients (5.7%). In two of the nine patients, repeat angioplasty involved another lesion. Therefore, the target lesion revascularization rate during follow-up was 4.5% (seven patients). At quantitative coronary angiography, the minimal lumen diameter (mean+/-SD) increased from 1.12+/-0.34 mm before to 2.89+/-0.35 mm after stenting. Repeat angiography at 6 months was performed in 144 patients (92%). The minimal lumen diameter at follow-up was 2.12+/-0.67 mm. Restenosis (diameter stenosis of 50% or more) was documented in 12 patients or 8.3%. When the two patients with documented stent thrombosis are included, the restenosis rate amounts to 97%.

CONCLUSIONS

These data confirm that, in selected patients, stents can safely be implanted without the use of systemic anticoagulation, provided optimal stent expansion is achieved. The exact role of intravascular ultrasound in the achievement of these results needs to be established by appropriately designed studies. In the meantime, intravascular ultrasound coupled with the Palmaz-Schatz stent incorporating a spiral bridge, may have contributed considerably to the immediate angiographic outcome, which in turn may explain the favourable clinical and angiographic outcome at 6 months.

Peritoneal metastasis of intracranial glioblastoma via a ventriculoperitoneal shunt preventing organ retrieval: case report and review of the literature

The case of patient with glioblastoma metastatic to the peritoneal cavity 9 months after ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery precluding cadaver organ procurement is presented. Even though central nervous tumors rarely metastasize spontaneously, the literature indicates that systemic metastases are related to previous surgical procedures and especially shunt surgery. Central nervous tumors have been known to metastasize to lungs, liver, and kidneys and could be transmitted through transplanted organs as shown in the Cincinnati tumor registry. The transplant surgeon should be alerted to this possibility and thorough search for metastases should be undertaken before considering primary brain tumor patients as donors.

Efficacy of coronary stenting versus balloon angioplasty in small coronary arteries. Stent Restenosis Study (STRESS) Investigators

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of elective stent implantation and balloon angioplasty for new lesions in small coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND

Palmaz-Schatz stents have been designed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in coronary arteries with diameters > or = 3.0 mm. The efficacy of elective stent placement in smaller vessels has not been determined.

METHODS

By quantitative coronary angiography, 331 patients in the Stent Restenosis Study (STRESS) I-II were determined to have a reference vessel < 3.0 mm in diameter. Of these, 163 patients were randomly assigned to stenting (mean diameter 2.69 +/- 0.21 mm), and 168 patients were assigned to angioplasty (mean diameter 2.64 +/- 0.24 mm). The primary end point was restenosis, defined as > or = 50% diameter stenosis at 6-month follow-up angiography. Clinical event rates at 1 year were assessed.

RESULTS

Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar in the two groups. Procedural success was achieved in 100% of patients assigned to stenting and in 92% of patients assigned to angioplasty (p < 0.001). Abrupt closure within 30 days occurred in 3.6% of patients in both groups. Compared with angioplasty, stenting conferred a significantly larger postprocedural lumen diameter (2.26 vs. 1.80 mm, p < 0.001) and a larger lumen at 6 months (1.54 vs. 1.27 mm, p < 0.001). Restenosis (> or = 50% diameter stenosis at follow-up) occurred in 34% of patients assigned to stenting and in 55% of patients assigned to angioplasty (p < 0.001). At 1 year, event-free survival was achieved in 78% of the stent group and in 67% of the angioplasty group (p = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that elective stent placement provides superior angiographic and clinical outcomes than balloon angioplasty in vessels slightly smaller than 3 mm.

De novo malignances in pediatric organ transplant recipients

A study of 10813 types of cancer that occurred in 10151 organ transplant recipients showed that the pattern of malignancies that occurred in pediatric recipients was very different from the general pediatric population and from adult recipients. Tumors (527) occurred in 512 pediatric patients (aged 18 years or less), and 9639 adults developed 10286 neoplasms. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) was the predominant neoplasm in pediatric recipients and comprised 52% of all tumors compared with 15% in adult recipients. Eighty-four percent of PTLD in the former patients presented during childhood. There was a disproportionately high incidence among nonrenal allograft recipients compared with renal recipients (81% vs. 31% of all tumors). The second most common malignancy in pediatric patients was skin cancer (19% of tumors), but this was less frequent than in adult recipients, in whom it comprised 39% of neoplasms. Only 16 pediatric patients (16%) with skin cancers developed their tumors during childhood (6 had malignant melanomas), with an average time of appearance after transplantation of 126 months (range 5.5-292). Malignant melanomas were more common in pediatric than adult recipients (12% vs. 5% of skin cancers), as were lip cancers (23% vs. 12%). Spread to lymph nodes was also more common in pediatric than in adult recipients (9% vs. 6%). Sarcomas comprised 4% of tumors compared with 1% in adults. Carcinomas of the vulva and perineum also comprised 4% of tumors. Females outnumbered males in a ratio of 8.5:1. These tumors appeared beyond childhood at an average of 142 months (range 42-262 months) post-transplantation. Other cancers observed in recipients transplanted during childhood were thyroid carcinomas (15), Kaposi's sarcomas (15), carcinomas of the liver (13), leukemias (13), carcinomas of the cervix (10), brain tumors (7), renal carcinomas (7), ovarian carcinomas (5), and miscellaneous tumors (19). Of all 527 malignancies, 314 (60%) appeared during childhood and 213 (40%) manifested themselves between the ages of 19 and 40 years. By far the most common tumor diagnosed during childhood was PTLD, which comprised 230 of the 314 (73%) malignancies.

Results of renal transplantation in patients with renal cell carcinoma and von Hippel-Lindau disease

BACKGROUND

Patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease are at risk for the development of end-stage renal failure from the treatment of localized renal cell carcinoma. Transplantation with its attendant immunosuppression may predispose patients to tumor recurrence; however, there is little information regarding the outcome with this approach. In this article, we review the North American and European experience with renal transplantation in this patient population.

METHODS

The study group comprises 32 patients who have VHL rendered anephric secondary to localized renal cell carcinoma and who have undergone renal transplantation. Patients were identified from North American (n=18) and European (n=14) registries. The outcome of the study group is compared with a cohort of 32 renal transplant recipients without VHL from the Cleveland Clinic Unified Transplant Data Base, who were matched for donor source, gender, age, transplant status (primary vs. regraft), and date of transplantation.

RESULTS

The 23 men and 9 women in the study group received transplants between 1974 and 1996. The average age at transplantation was 36 years, and the average duration of dialysis before transplantation was 26 months. Patients have been followed for 48+/-35 months. There was no statistically significant difference in graft survival, patient survival, or renal function between the study and control groups. There were five deaths in both the study and control groups. In the study group, three patients died with metastatic disease. There was no difference in the duration of dialysis before transplantation between patients who developed metastatic disease and those who did not.

CONCLUSION

These data support the utility of renal transplantation as an effective form of renal replacement therapy in this unique population, with a limited risk of recurrent cancer.

Renal transplantation exposes patients with previous Kaposi's sarcoma to a high risk of recurrence

It is currently estimated that about 0.5% of patients will develop Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) after kidney transplantation. Tapering of immunosuppression often leads to KS remission, but also results in graft loss in more than 50% of cases. Whether retransplantation is safe in these patients is unknown. We here report on eight patients who developed KS recurrence after kidney transplantation-(A) Patients with previously treated KS: There were 4 patients who had clinical remission of KS (including three posttransplantation) for periods ranging from 5 months up to 19 years before transplantation. All 4 developed KS recurrence within months after transplantation. In 3 patients, KS regressed only when all immunosuppression was discontinued, at the price of allograft removal. Partial remission occurred in the fourth patient following reduction of immunosuppression and gancyclovir administration; (B) Patients with recurrent KS during a single transplant: 4 patients developed KS after transplantation that regressed following reduction of immunosuppressive therapy. Increased immunosuppression, in the form of steroid pulses in 3 patients was associated with recurrence of KS. Subsequent reduction of immunosuppression caused regression of KS in all 4 patients, but 2 recipients lost their allografts. These data emphasize the high risk of recurrence of KS after renal transplantation. If physicians decide to transplant patients with a history of KS, they should inform the future recipient of the possibility of KS recurrence.

Testicular seminoma originating in an undescended testis in a renal allograft recipient

Immunosuppressed transplant recipients are at significantly increased risk for developing neoplasms than are nonimmunosuppressed individuals. However, only six cases of pure testicular seminoma following renal transplantation have been reported in the English literature. This case report represents the first description of a seminoma arising in an undescended testis post-transplantation. We propose that it may be prudent to remove atrophic undescended testes when lifelong immunosuppressive therapy is anticipated, because accelerated tumor growth can occur.

Oral presentation of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders. An unusual manifestation

Cyclosporine, an immunosuppressive agent widely used in organ transplantation, has several undesirable side effects, including gingival hyperplasia, which occurs in up to 70% of patients. Another complication associated with use of cyclosporine and other immunosuppressants is an increased incidence of malignancies. Long-term use of cyclosporine also is associated with a spectrum of hyperproliferative disorders ranging from reactive lymphoid hyperplasia to aggressive malignant lymphomas. While cyclosporine-related lymphoproliferative disorders have been widely reported, they have not been described in the oral cavity as the first manifestation of this disease. We report on two cardiac transplantation patients with a history of cyclosporine use who presented initially with oral symptoms of lymphoproliferative disorder. Both had erythematous to cyanotic and hyperplastic gingiva. On gingivectomy, the fixed tissue was soft, glistening, and tan colored, in contrast to the usual firm, white, cyclosporine-associated, benign gingival fibrous hyperplasia. Histologically, a dense, diffuse infiltrate of lymphoplasmacytoid cells with vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli, a moderate amount of cytoplasm, and high mitotic activity was observed. Immunocytochemical studies confirmed that the cells were monoclonal for lambda light chains in one patient and kappa light chains in the other. The cells from one patient were positive for CD45, while both patients were negative for CD20 and all nonhematopoietic antigens tested. Both tissues were strongly positive for Epstein-Barr virus. Morphology and immunocytochemistry findings are consistent with a posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder. These are the first two reported cases of cyclosporine-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders presenting as gingival hyperplasia.

Malignant melanoma in organ allograft recipients

Three groups of tumors were studied. The first group was melanomas inadvertently transmitted from donors. Brain metastases from melanoma were often misdiagnosed in the donors as primary brain tumors or cerebral hemorrhage. Eleven donors provided organs to 20 recipients of whom 3 never manifested evidence of melanoma, 1 showed local spread of tumor beyond the allograft, and 16 had metastases. Of the last group 11 died from melanoma, but 4 patients had complete remissions following transplant nephrectomy and discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. The second group was Melanomas treated pretransplantation. Thirty patients had cutaneous melanomas and one an ocular melanoma. Six patients (19%) had recurrences posttransplantation. Three were treated < 2 years pretransplantation, 2 between 2-5 years pretransplantation, and one 120 months pretransplantation. The third group was De novo melanomas. Cutaneous melanomas occurred in 164 patients, melanomas of unknown origin in 8, and ocular melanomas in 5. Melanomas constituted 5.2% of posttransplant skin cancers compared with 2.7% in the general population. Unusual features of cutaneous melanomas were that 6 (4%) occurred in children, and 9 (5%) occurred in bone marrow recipients who were treated for leukemia. Forty-four patients (27%) who had cutaneous melanomas also had other skin cancers. Forty-seven of 68 patients (69%) had thick skin lesions (Clark's level III or greater or > 0.76 mm by Breslow's technique). Lymph node metastases occurred in 32 patients (20%) with cutaneous melanomas. Fifty patients (30%) with cutaneous melanomas died of their malignancies, as did 5 with melanomas of unknown origin, and 1 with ocular melanoma. The risks of melanoma may be reduced by stringent selection of donors; by waiting at least 5 years between treatment of melanoma and undertaking transplantation; and, perhaps, by reducing sunlight exposure and by early excision of suspicious dysplastic lesions.

Malignancy in renal transplant recipients

Immunosuppressed organ allograft recipients have a 3-4 fold increased risk of developing cancer, but the chance of developing certain malignancies is increased several hundredfold. With the exception of skin cancers, most of the common neoplasms seen in the general population are not increased in incidence in organ allograft recipients. Instead, there is a higher frequency of relatively rare tumors including lymphomas, Kaposi's sarcoma, other sarcomas, vulvar and perineal carcinomas, renal and hepatobiliary carcinomas. Tumors appear after a relatively short time post-transplantation. The earliest is Kaposi's sarcoma, which appears after an average of 22 months post-transplantation, and the latest are vulvar and perineal carcinomas, which present after an average of 113 months post-transplantation. Unusual features of lymphomas are: (a) high incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas; (b) high frequency of Epstein-Barr virus-related lesions; (c) frequent involvement of extra-nodal sites; (d) marked predilection for the brain; and (e) frequent allograft involvement. Skin cancers also present unusual features: (a) remarkably high frequency of Kaposi's sarcoma; (b) reversal of the ratio of basal to squamous cell carcinomas seen in the general population; (c) young age of the patients; and (d) high incidence of multiple tumors, which occur in 43% of patients. Vulvar and perineal cancers occur at a much younger age than in the general population. Probably, multiple factors play a role in the etiology of the cancers. Immunodeficiency per se and infection with oncogenic viruses may be major influences. Other factors possibly playing a role include direct damage to DNA by various immunosuppressive agents; possibly synergistic effects of these treatments with carcinogens; and genetic factors influencing susceptibility or resistance to development of malignancy.

Posttransplantation de novo tumors in liver allograft recipients

De novo cancers occurred after transplantation in 8,008 organ allograft recipients, who developed 8,531 different types of malignancy. Three hundred twenty-four liver recipients developed 329 cancers. There were striking differences in the patterns of neoplasms observed when these were compared with 7,200 tumors that occurred in renal allograft recipients. Lymphomas were much more common in liver allograft recipients (57% v 12% of all tumors), whereas skin cancers (39% v 15%), carcinomas of the cervix (4% v 1%), renal tumors (4% v 1%), and vulvar carcinomas (3% v 0.6%) were more common in renal allograft recipients. The high incidence of lymphomas is related partly to the more intense immunosuppressive therapy administered to hepatic allograft recipients and partly to the large percentage of pediatric patients among them. The intense immunosuppression also accounts for the much shorter induction times of lymphomas (mean, 15 v 46 months; P < .001) and nonlymphomatous tumors (mean, 27 v 72; P < .001) in liver compared with kidney recipients. The longer follow-up of renal recipients probably accounts for the higher incidence of the other tumors that tend to appear relatively late after transplantation. A remarkable feature was the high incidence of allograft involvement by lymphoma (44%). Complete remissions after treatment occurred in 11 of 28 patients in whom the lymphoma was confined to the allograft. A few tumors in liver recipients were related to the underlying disease for which transplantation was performed: hepatomas in patients who underwent transplantation for hepatitis B cirrhosis and colon carcinomas or cholangiocarcinomas in patients who underwent transplantation for chronic ulcerative colitis with sclerosing cholangitis. A surprising finding was the development of four leiomyosarcomas, three occurring in the allograft itself, in pediatric liver recipients.

Sarcomas in organ allograft recipients

In a review of 8724 de novo malignancies that occurred in 8191 organ allograft recipients sarcomas were 7.4% of cancers. Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) made up 5.7%, and other sarcomas (OS) 1.7% a much higher proportion than in the general population. KS was most common in Arab, black, Italian, Jewish, or Greek patients. In 60% of patients with KS the lesions were confined to the skin and/or oropharynx while 40% involved internal organs and/or lymph nodes. Complete remissions following various treatments occurred in 53% of the former group and 27% of the latter. In both groups 32% and 60% of remissions, respectively, occurred when the only treatment was reduction or cessation of immunosuppressive therapy. However, this treatment caused impaired function or allograft loss from rejection in 22 of 34 kidney recipients. Recurrent KS occurred in 5% of patients in remission when immunosuppressive therapy was resumed. Nine of 114 patients (8%) tested for human immunodeficiency virus were positive. Most OS arose in internal organs or soft tissues. The major types were fibrous histiocytoma (20 patients), leiomyosarcoma (15), fibrosarcoma (12), rhabdomyosarcoma (9), hemangiosarcoma (8), undifferentiated sarcoma (7) and mesothelioma (6). Several unusual features were noted. Remarkably, 10 of 105 (10%) sarcomas occurred adjacent to or in a renal (6) or hepatic (4) allograft. Leiomyosarcomas are rare in children, yet 5 of 15 (33%) occurred in pediatric patients. Three hemangiosarcomas occurred in forearms at sites of arteriovenous fistulas used for pretransplant hemodialysis access. One leiomyosarcoma and one fibrosarcoma occurred in previously irradiated areas. One patient with mesothelioma had a history of asbestos exposure and two others had possible exposure.

Primary kidney tumors before and after renal transplantation

Three groups of patients were reviewed. Primary carcinomas were found in donors kidneys of 47 recipients. In 30 instances a tumor was present at harvesting. When a neoplasm was removed immediately pretransplantation or early posttransplantation there were no recurrences in 14 recipients. In another two instances, a tumor was not removed or was incompletely excised pretransplantation and both recipients died of metastases. Fourteen other patients received kidneys from donors in whom the opposite kidney had a malignancy. Thirteen remained tumor-free and one had allograft nephrectomy for rejection 3 months posttransplantation when a carcinoma was found. In 17 recipients an allograft neoplasm was not recognized at harvesting. In 9 it was discovered at graft nephrectomy an average of 3 months posttransplantation. In a tenth patient a hypoechogenic area, found on routine posttransplant ultrasonography, progressively increased in size and proved to be malignant. Another 7 patients developed metastases from renal carcinomas an average of 12 months posttransplantation. Preexisting carcinomas were found in 350 recipients. Seventy-one patients with incidentally discovered tumors had no recurrences no matter when nephrectomy was performed in relationship to transplantation. Of 279 patients with symptomatic renal tumors, 70 (25%) had recurrences, 63% of which occurred in patients treated < or = 2 years pretransplantation. De novo cancers were found posttransplantation in 256 recipients. Renal carcinomas were 4.6% of posttransplant cancers compared with 3% of tumors in the general population. In 222 patients their own diseased kidneys were involved, in 24 tumors occurred in the allograft, and in 10 cases the site was not stated. Development of neoplasia seemed to be related not to the immunosuppressive therapy but to the underlying cause of renal failure, especially analgesic nephropathy. A disproportionate number of carcinomas (15%) involved the renal pelvis, most likely because of prior analgesic abuse.

Central nervous system lymphomas in organ allograft recipients

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement occurred in 289 of 1332 patients (22%) with posttransplant non-Hodgkins lymphomas. The average time of appearance was 33 months (range 3 weeks to 248.5 months) posttransplantation. Lesions were confined to the CNS in 159 patients (55%), while 130 (45%) had involvement of other organs. Lesions involved the brain in 254 patients (88%), the brain and spinal cord in 5 (2%), the spinal cord in 2 (1%), unspecified locations in the CNS in 13 (4%), the meninges in 8 (3%), and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 7 (2%). All patients whose only involvement of the CNS was of the meninges or CSF had lymphomas involving multiple organs. Many tumors (48%) appeared within one year after transplantation. Brain lesions were frequently multicentric in distribution. Ninety-one (31%) of the 289 patients had no treatment and died, 70 (77%) of their malignancies and 21 (23%) from other causes. Of 198 patients who received treatment 124 (63%) died of their malignancies; 40 (20%) died of other causes, including 17 patients who had had complete remissions following treatment; 22 (11%) are currently alive and in complete remission; and 12 (6%) are alive and still undergoing therapy. The treatment of choice is local radiotherapy to the brain, which either alone (18 patients) or in combination with other modalities (14 patients) caused 32 of the 39 (82%) complete remissions. Ten of 30 patients with disease localized to the CNS survived more than 5 years, including 6 who survived more than 10 years. CNS lymphomas should be suspected whenever a transplant patient has neurologic symptoms however minor, and prompt work-up is essential to eliminate other possible causes. The dismal prognosis can be improved only by early diagnosis and prompt therapy.

Malignancy

Although cancer is a complication of transplantation, one must emphasize that the great majority of organ allograft recipients do not develop this problem. The risk of developing a de novo malignancy is generally not a contraindication to transplantation. Many patients who develop de novo malignancies have readily treatable in situ carcinomas of the cervix, low-grade skin tumors, and in situ carcinomas of the vulva and perineum. However, with the limited experience gained thus far, nonrenal allograft recipients appear to be more prone to develop potentially life-threatening tumors, mainly lymphomas. Their occurrence may be related to the more intense immunosuppressive therapy that the surgeon is forced to give to some patients compared with renal allograft recipients. In these patients efforts to preserve a rejecting kidney may be abandoned in favor of dialysis and cessation of immunosuppressive therapy. A second transplantation can be performed at a later date when the patient has recovered from the effects of heavy immunosuppression. When large numbers of nonrenal allograft recipients have been followed for prolonged periods, it is likely that the pattern of malignancies described in renal allograft recipients will be seen in them as well.

A randomized comparison of coronary-stent placement and balloon angioplasty in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Stent Restenosis Study Investigators

BACKGROUND

Coronary-stent placement is a new technique in which a balloon-expandable, stainless-steel, slotted tube is implanted at the site of a coronary stenosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of stent placement and standard balloon angioplasty on angiographically detected restenosis and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We randomly assigned 410 patients with symptomatic coronary disease to elective placement of a Palmaz-Schatz stent or to standard balloon angioplasty. Coronary angiography was performed at base line, immediately after the procedure, and six months later.

RESULTS

The patients who underwent stenting had a higher rate of procedural success than those who underwent standard balloon angioplasty (96.1 percent vs. 89.6 percent, P = 0.011), a larger immediate increase in the diameter of the lumen (1.72 +/- 0.46 vs. 1.23 +/- 0.48 mm, P < 0.001), and a larger luminal diameter immediately after the procedure (2.49 +/- 0.43 vs. 1.99 +/- 0.47 mm, P < 0.001). At six months, the patients with stented lesions continued to have a larger luminal diameter (1.74 +/- 0.60 vs. 1.56 +/- 0.65 mm, P = 0.007) and a lower rate of restenosis (31.6 percent vs. 42.1 percent, P = 0.046) than those treated with balloon angioplasty. There were no coronary events (death; myocardial infarction; coronary-artery bypass surgery; vessel closure, including stent thrombosis; or repeated angioplasty) in 80.5 percent of the patients in the stent group and 76.2 percent of those in the angioplasty group (P = 0.16). Revascularization of the original target lesion because of recurrent myocardial ischemia was performed less frequently in the stent group than in the angioplasty group (10.2 percent vs. 15.4 percent, P = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

In selected patients, placement of an intracoronary stent, as compared with balloon angioplasty, results in an improved rate of procedural success, a lower rate of angiographically detected restenosis, a similar rate of clinical events after six months, and a less frequent need for revascularization of the original coronary lesion.

De novo malignancy in pediatric organ transplant recipients

Study of 7,393 types of cancer that occurred in 6,934 organ transplant recipients showed that the pattern of malignancies that developed in pediatric recipients was very different from that of the general pediatric population and that of adult recipients. Tumors (334) occurred in 326 pediatric patients (aged < or = 18 years), and 7,059 neoplasms occurred in 6,608 adults. Lymphomas were the predominant cancer in pediatric recipients and comprised 50% of all tumors compared with 15% in adult recipients. Among lymphomas in pediatric patients, 85% occurred during childhood. Of the patients who had lymphoma, there was a preponderance of recipients of nonrenal organs (61%); of those who had nonlymphomatous tumors, only 13% received nonrenal organs. The second most common malignancy in pediatric patients was skin cancer (20% of tumors), but this occurred less frequently than in adult recipients, for whom it comprised 38% of neoplasms. In only 11 pediatric patients (16%) did skin cancers develop during childhood (5 had malignant melanomas), with an average time of appearance after transplantation of 118 months (range, 9.5 to 282 months). Malignant melanomas were more common in pediatric than adult recipients (15% v 5% of skin cancers), as were lip cancers (29% v 13%). Spread to lymph nodes was also more common in pediatric than in adult recipients (13% v 6%). The third most common tumor (4%) in patients who had transplantation during childhood was carcinoma of the vulva, perineum, and/or anus. These patients were female, and the tumors occurred after childhood, at an average of 140 months (range, 43-262 months) posttransplantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Depressed immunity and the development of cancer

Various disorders of immune competence are associated with increases in uncommon tumors, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), which often exhibit unusual features: they are frequently extranodal, show a broad spectrum of lesions, ranging from benign polyclonal hyperplasia to frankly malignant monoclonal lymphomas, and are frequently localized to the brain. Of 7136 tumors in organ transplant recipients, the predominant lesions are NHLs, carcinomas of the skin and lips, carcinomas of the vulva/perineum, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), and renal carcinomas. Skin cancers present unusual features: predominance of squamous cell carcinomas, young age of the patients, and a high incidence of multiple tumors. Cancers of the vulva/perineum occur at a much younger age than in the general population. In AIDS patients the most common malignancy is KS, which occurs in 14%, whereas NHLs afflict 2.9%. A variety of other tumors occur in these patients. The most common tumors in patients with primary immunodeficiency states are NHLs (49%), leukemias (13%), various carcinomas (9%), and Hodgkin's disease (7%).

Incidence and treatment of neoplasia after transplantation

Cancer incidence in patients who undergo transplantation ranges from 4% to 18% (average, 6%). We have data on 7248 types of malignancy that developed in 6798 patients. The predominant tumors are lymphomas, skin and lip carcinomas, vulvar or perineal carcinomas, in situ uterine cervical carcinomas, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Tumors appear relatively early after transplantation. The earliest are Kaposi's sarcomas, which appear an average of 22 months after transplantation, whereas the latest are tumors that involve the vulva and perineum, which appear an average of 113 months after transplantation. Unusual features of the lymphomas include a high incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, frequent involvement of extranodal sites, marked predilection for the brain, and frequent allograft involvement by tumor. Lymphomas are much more common in heart or heart and lung recipients than in kidney recipients, and in pediatric patients compared with adults. Neoplastic regression after reduction or cessation of immunosuppressive therapy occurs in some patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Kaposi's sarcoma.