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RACS ASC 2024

Skin Cancer Profile in Liver Transplant Patients: An Australian cohort

Verbal Presentation

Verbal Presentation

11:10 am

06 May 2024

Bealey 3

RESEARCH PAPERS

Presentation Description

Institution: Austin Health - VIC, Australia

Background: Cutaneous malignancies are a well-established sequela of the immunosuppression required for liver transplantation. Despite this, there lacks an ideal surveillance protocol and management guideline for skin cancers in this population. The authors aim to undertake a retrospective review that analyses skin cancer data in Liver transplant recipients at a single major transplant centre in Victoria, Australia. Methods: 216 liver transplant recipients were identified from the Austin Health Liver transplant database from 2000 to 2020. 116 patients developed cutaneous malignancies post-transplant with the remaining patients utilised as a control group for comparison. Demographic data including Fitzpatrick skin type and skin cancer risk factors were collected. 443 cutaneous malignancies were identified, and further analysis of skin cancer characteristics were performed. Results: Age, male sex, Fitzpatrick skin-type 1-2, smoking, personal history of skin cancer pre transplant, increased frequency of blistering sunburn and Azathioprine use was associated with the development of skin cancer. Most skin cancers developed were moderately or poorly differentiated SCCs in the head and neck area. Most of these lesions were managed by general practitioners and dermatologists in the community. Conclusion: The data demonstrates that a variety of personal risk factors increase the risk of developing cutaneous malignancies post liver transplant. Furthermore, it confirms that skin cancers developed are higher-grade and more aggressive than in the normal population. This helps to stratify patient risk-profiles to identify high-risk patients and aids protocol development for skin cancer surveillance in the post liver transplant population.

Speakers

Authors

Authors

Dr Evania Lok - , Dr Rohan Rajaram - , Prof Robert Jones - , Dr Sally Ng -