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# Organ transplant recipients face higher cancer risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/organ_transplant_recipients_cancer_risk_1028120736/
- Published: 2012-10-29T08:35:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:26:15.000Z
- Description: An American Journal of Transplantation cohort study of Australian liver and cardiothoracic transplant recipients found they were 162 percent more likely than the general population to develop cancer, with raised risk for 16 cancer types, mostly ones with a viral cause.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Drug, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Monday Oct 29, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) --Not all doctors believe it, but this is a fact that a healthy immune response is important for the prevention of a variety of cancers, particularly those caused by viral infections.

A new study in American Journal of Transplantation shows that organ transplant recipients were at higher risk for 16 types of cancer, particularly those with a viral etiology.

R. Na of Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and colleagues conducted the cohort study of liver and cardiothoracic transplant recipients in Australia. For the study, participants were followed for a median period of five years.

Compared to the general population, liver and cardiothoracic recipients were 162 percent more likely to develop cancer. And these organ transplant recipients faced an increased risk for 16 types of cancer, mostly cancers induced by viral infections.

The risk pattern by cancer type was similar among heart, lung and liver recipients, except for Merkel cell carcinoma, which was found only in cardiothoracic recipients. 

Seventeen cancers including 10 non-Hodgkin lymphomas were observed in 415 pediatric recipients with their cancer risk almost 24 times higher, compared to their peers.

Compared to the liver transplant recipients, heart transplant recipients and lung transplant recipients were 29 percent and 65 percent more likely to develop any cancer, respectively.

The researchers wrote "Understanding the factors responsible for the higher cancer incidence in cardiothoracic compared to liver recipients has the potential to lead to targeted cancer prevention strategies in this high-risk population."

Organ transplant recipients are required to take anti-immunity medications to suppress the the immune response to the transplanted organs. Use of these medications increases risk of cancer and many other diseases like infections.