Anne[a]
J Neurooncol. 2003 May;63(1):33-7.
Glioblastoma in kidney transplant recipients. Report of five cases.
Salvati M, Frati A, Caroli E, Russo N, Polli FM, Domenicucci M, Delfini R.
Department of Neurosurgery, INM Neuromed IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy.
Five patients who developed an intracranial glioblastoma after a kidney transplant are described. All patients underwent surgical removal of the lesion and eventually radiation therapy, but none of them is still alive at follow-up. The possibility of tumours occurring in transplant recipients is a recognised entity and several series have been reported. Nevertheless, little consideration has been paid to post-transplant gliomas and a precise evaluation of this risk is still lacking. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain a possible link. One possible factor may be the immunosuppressive state of recipients as a result of post-transplant administration of immunosuppressive drugs, as it is known that gliomas have an higher incidence in HIV-infected patients. However, it is not yet clear whether immunosuppressive drugs function as a direct transforming factor.