Genitourinary cancer in kidney transplant recipients: A national cohort-based study
Tae Hyun Ban1, Kyung-Hee Chae2, Arum Choi2, Mi-hyeong Kim3, Hyung Duk Kim1, Ji Hyung Hong1, Bum Soon Choi1, Sukil Kim2, Hyunho Kim4.
1Department of Internal Medicine, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea; 2Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea; 3Department of Surgery, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea; 4Department of Internal Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Introduction: This study aims to investigate the incidence of genitourinary (GU) cancer in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) compared to the general population, and focus on potential risk factors on GU cancer.
Method: The national cohort was obtained from Health Insurance and Review Assessment in South Korea. We conducted a retrospective analysis of of approximately 360,000 individuals, including 31,542 KTRs from 2007 to 2018. Propensity score matching was employed to compare KTRs with a healthy population, adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia.
Results: KTRs revealed a significantly increased risk of GU cancer, with a notable incidence of particularly bladder and kidney cancer. The multivariate analysis revealed a higher risk of GU cancer associated with kidney transplantation (HR 2.133, 95% CI 1.641-2.772) and hypercholesterolemia (HR 1.725, 95% CI 1.227-2.425), with older age and male gender also being significant risk factors.
Conclusion: This national cohort-based study indicates an increased risk of GU cancers in KTRs, underscoring the need for targeted cancer surveillance and pre- and post-transplant counseling.
This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI19C1298).
[1] Kidney transplantation
[2] Genitourinary cancer
[3] kidney cancer
[4] bladder cancer
[5] cancer risk factors