Study: 5 Kidney Transplant Recipients Get Kaposi's Sarcoma From Donor

Five kidney transplant recipients who subsequently developed the cancer-like disease known as Kaposi's sarcoma appear to have received the virus from their donated organs, according to Italian researchers.

The Italian researchers report that in their study of eight kidney transplant patients with Kaposi's sarcoma, five were found to have either genetic or antigenic markers indicating that the virus originated in their organ donor.

The study shows that "tumor cells from the organ donor can contribute to one of the most frequent transplant-related malignancies," Patrick S. Moore of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute said in an accompanying article in the journal Nature Medicine.

Kaposi sarcoma, partly caused by a herpes virus called Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8), is a slow-growing vascular tumor that usually shows up as spots on the skin, but which spreads to internal organs in 40 percent of immunosuppressed post-transplant patients.

Kaposi's sarcoma in transplant patients can be treated by cutting back on anti-rejection drugs, enabling the patient's immune system to battle the cancer. But that can also let the immune system attack the transplanted organ.

Other Sources: Nature Medicine