Very few organs are procured in the United States from donors with central nervous system (CNS) tumors even though there is no indication such an organ has ever led to a tumor in a transplant recipient, according to data gathered by the United Network for Organ Sharing.

While Dr. Myron Kauffman, a UNOS research scientist, said there is "a small risk of tumor transmission from CNS donors," he said no malignancies of CNS origin occurred in 1,220 recipients indentified as UNOS has having received organs from donors with CNS tumors.

Each year in the United States more than 13,000 deaths from central nervous system tumors occur, but fewer than 55 of these deaths result in organ donation, Kauffman said.

Kauffman, who reported on the study in the journal Transplantation, said certain types of brain tumors are more likely to spread than others and potential donors that have undergone certain types of neurosurgery should be avoided.

However, the UNOS researchers concluded that donors with a history of CNS tumors or CNS tumor death should be considered potential donors.

Other sources: UNOS