A transplant patient developed cancer after receiving a new kidney

A woman who claims that a kidney transplant has turned into a "death sentence" after developing cancer from a donor organ asks for an investigation.

Pauline Hunt, 49 years old and originally from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, thought she had found a new lease of life last December when she received the new organ.

But she now has cancer of the lymph nodes and she was told that she was too sick to undergo chemotherapy.

The Scottish Government stated that he wanted to learn the lessons of the case.

Hospital and transplant authorities insisted that all safety protocols had been followed and that the transmission of undiagnosed cancer was a known risk.

Pauline's original kidney transplant took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow in December 2017.

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Pauline Hunt

She said that she had started suffering from health problems in a few days.

Ten weeks after receiving the donor's organ, a doctor told Pauline that she needed to have the kidney removed.

The recipient of the other donor kidney – a man in Newcastle – had died of cancer.

After the emergency surgery, Pauline, a former caregiver, was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes.

"It was like a death sentence," she said.

"I do not know how long I have been … I've had cancer from a donor who should have been in such good health that it should not have happened."

John Forsythe, Medical Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at the NHS Blood and Transplant, said, "We are aware of this tragic case and our thoughts are with the beneficiaries and their families.

"We can confirm that an investigation revealed that all processes were followed correctly.

"For all potential donors, we carefully check their medical history and perform new tests.If an abnormality is found during the removal of an organ, we will conduct a biopsy."

He added that donation and transplantation should take place quickly and usually follow an unexpected death.

"In very rare cases, it is possible that the donor has a very small tumor that can not be detected by tests that can be done in the limited time available before the transplant," he added.

"This means that the transmission of undiagnosed cancer is a known risk, although this is thankfully very rare."

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Organs transplants

A total of 4,039 people were transplanted from a deceased donor in the UK last year.

The risk of transmission of a previously undiagnosed cancer from a donor to a recipient is about 1 in 2,000 transplant recipients.

In the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2010, 15 out of 15,765 transplant recipients developed donor-transmitted cancer, three of which died.

During the same period, 4,093 patients died while waiting for a transplant.

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A spokesman for the Scottish Government said that it was "a very tragic case".

"Despite rigorous controls and testing on organ donations by specialized medical personnel, given the limited time in which donation and transplantation must take place, it is unfortunately not possible to 39; mitigate all risks of transmission of infection.

"The Secretary of State for Health ensures that all appropriate investigations are conducted on the circumstances of Ms. Wright's case so that all lessons learned can be learned, including from the examination conducted by NHS Blood and Transplant. "

NHS spokesperson Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "The transplant process involves known risks, including malignancies, and these are discussed in detail at different stages of the patient's preparation for transplantation.

"In this case, two of our senior clinicians were both satisfied with the transplant following this rigorous process.

"The patient and her family were fully informed about this investigation and its results, which concluded that the situation could not be anticipated and that the treatment and clinical decisions were appropriate and fully consistent with the strict protocols for transplantation. . "