Solid organ transplantation and malignancies

SUMMARY – Recent breakthroughs in the fi eld of organ transplantation and oncology have challenged existing views, and necessitate the revision of several tumor-related issues in transplantation. The need for expanding the donor pool raises the question of how and when it is plausible to transplant the organs of a donor with a history of cancer, such that the risk of tumor inoculation and manifestation due to the graft  would be minimal for the recipient. Another point to consider is whether it is acceptable to transplant a recipient with a history of a malignant tumor, and if yes, how much tumor-free survival time is required as a minimum before the transplant. Transplanted patients live longer as a result of modern immunosuppressive therapy. However, the risk of malignant tumors increases proportionally to the length of the immunosuppressed state: their incidence may be as much as 20-30% in the long term. The signifi cance of „de novo” posttransplant tumors is highlighted by the fact that they are among the leading causes of death in transplant patients. Taken together, malignant diseases pose a serious problem from several aspects, the solution for which requires close teamwork of experts in oncology and transplantation, and the integration of up-to-date knowledge in the process of making a therapeutic decision, tailored individually for the patient.