A medical catastrophe occurred in Europe and although it is only focused on a very small, rare occurrence it still highlights the serious risk associated with transplanted organs.
4 patients received transplanted organs from the same donor in Europe and now they have developed breast cancer.
The American College of Transplant Surgeons released this case study and said that it was the first time that one donor who had undetected cancer transmitted the disease to four different patients.
The 53-year-old woman who donated the organs died in 2007 when she had a brain bleed. Standard tests were done prior to the time that her organs were harvested to be donated.
None of the tests showed any signs of tumors at that time so her liver, kidneys, and lungs were donated to four different adult patients. Each of those patients, however, ended up developing breast cancer in as early as 16 months after the transplant took place.
When the first case was confirmed all of the donor recipients were warned to get tested for cancer. The other three patients still tested negative at that time.
It was proven that all four cases of cancer originated with the single donor. DNA tests were run on the infected organs to make that determination. When the organs were donated, however, there was no trace of cancer detected.
Interestingly, malignant tumors do not stop the patient from donating organs except in a few exceptions, such as the skin. It is now believed that the donor had “micro metastases” that were too small to be detected by the standard tests. Once the organs were in the recipient’s bodies, the cancer was able to spread.
It is “extremely rare” for cancer to occur as a result of donated organ tissue but it is not unheard of. The risk of transmitting cancer through a donation from one person to another is lower than 0.1% and in some cases, as low as 0.05%. In other words, less than one case out of 2000 transplants.
Considering the fact that four patients were infected by the single donor means that it is an extremely unusual case. Some of the cancer cases did not occur for years after the transplants took place.
3 of the individuals who received those organ transplants died from cancer. The fourth was able to survive because the transplanted kidney was removed and he was taken off the post-transplant medication. That medication has the effect of suppressing the immune system.
Despite the outcome, the author of the report says that ” practices of donor screening for malignancy are effective.”
They also warned transplant doctors that breast examination should be a part of the complete medical examination prior to the time a transplant takes place.
More invasive tests that are not part of the standard test, including CT scans may have picked up on cancer. Doctors are concerned, however, that adding an additional step to the transplant process would reduce how many people are willing to be organ donors.
The authors of the report also proposed that any infected organs may be removed quickly because it could save a life. It is important, however, not to allow this story to scare you away from a transplant surgery that could save your life.
Dr. Frederike Bemelman, one of the report’s authors, says there is “always a small risk” something will go wrong.
“Even if you undergo a simple gallbladder procedure, you also have a small chance of something happening to you during the procedure,” she added.
“The advantages of organ transplantation far outweigh these small risks. People should not be worried.”
118,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants with 64% being on the waiting list behind at least one other person.