Aggressive skin cancers in a cardiac transplant recipient

Abstract

Skin cancers following cardiac transplantation are a serious problem that may lead to significant morbidity and mortality. While the majority of skin cancers represent minimally invasive lesions that are treated adequately by local means, a small subset exhibits a potentially life-threatening natural history. The aggressiveness of these skin cancers, despite standard treatment, is indicative of the aggressive nature displayed by a subset of secondary malignancies following cardiac transplantation. The need for lifelong maintenance immunosuppression after transplantation is a major factor in the development of these secondary malignancies. Presented here is the case study of a cardiac transplant recipient who developed multiple aggressive squamous and non-squamous cell scalp skin cancers.