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Three out of four people who developed breast cancer from donated organs eventually succumbed to the disease. It is interesting to note that the donor, who died of a heart attack, was screened for cancer at the time of her death. ( pixabay )
There are rare cases in which organ donors involuntarily transmit infectious diseases to organ recipients, but an even rarer event is the passage of cancer through the graft.
In Europe, four people who have received single-donor organs develop breast cancer several months to several years after the transplant. What are the important things to know about organ donations in cancer?
Cancer of the donated organs
In 2007, a 53-year-old organ donor died from a stroke. Since she did not suffer from any medical problem that would prevent her from donating her organs and that she was not tested for cancer, her heart, lungs, liver and her two kidneys were administered to different people.
However, 16 months after the organ transplants, the woman who received the lungs became ill and was found to have breast cancer cells in the lymph nodes of her chest. DNA testing revealed that the cells belong to the donor and that the recipient died within one year of diagnosis.
Since the person who received the donor's heart died of unrelated causes soon after the procedure, the doctors notified the other three organ recipients of what had happened and tested them, which was is revealed negative.
In 2011, however, breast cancer cells were found in the liver of a liver transplant patient. Since she did not want to go through another liver transplant for fear of possible complications, she chose to receive only radiation therapy for cancer, which initially worked. Unfortunately, the cancer finally came back and she died in 2014.
In 2013, the patient who received the donor's left kidney also had breast cancer cells in the donated organ. However, at the time of discovery, the cancer had already spread to her other organs. She died two months later.
The last recipient, a 32-year-old man who received the donor's right kidney, was diagnosed with breast cancer cells in the given kidney. Doctors immediately removed the kidney and also received treatment for cancer. The man has survived and is without cancer.
Extraordinary case
The authors of the report published in the American Journal of Transplantation describes the case as extraordinary. The patient had an undetected cancer that was spreading but was too small to be detected by screening or imaging.
Unfortunately, it was easier for the cancer cells to grow in the body of the recipients because they had to take drugs to suppress their immune system, so that their bodies would not reject the donated organs.
According to the American Cancer Society, the risks of cancer transmission by a given organ are actually extremely low, but this happens. That said, cancer survivors who want to help others donate their organs are not in danger, but it depends on the type of cancer and other conditions.
For example, a cancer-free person for a long time before donation can donate his organs. In fact, even those who have brain cancer that has not spread beyond the brainstem can donate their organs. On the other hand, someone recently diagnosed with cancer may not be allowed to donate organs.
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