Melanomas in Renal Transplant Recipients: A Single-center Study

Skin cancers are the most common malignancies in renal transplant recipients, with squamous-cell and basal-cell cancers accounting for the majority of all skin cancer cases. Melanoma is relatively rare in this group of patients. From 1973 to May 2017, out of 1889 patients who received allografts at our institution, 4 developed melanoma. After the mean follow-up of 11.5 months, 2 patients died and 2 are still alive with functioning allografts. Malignancies were localized in the legs in both female patients, and in the neck and head in 1 male patient each. Compared to the general population of Croatia, renal transplant recipients from our cohort have 6.85 times higher risk for development of melanoma. Regular screenings and patient education are mandatory, especially in Mediterranean countries.