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Showing posts with the label #organ transplant

Can Organ Transplants Transmit Cancer?

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Very Rare but Yes - New Research Organ Transplant Surgery European Case It's well known that organ transplants can pass on infectious diseases from the donor to the recipient in rare cases.  New scientific research shows that passing cancer from a donor to a transplant recipient is extraordinarily rare but can happen.  In fact, a donor's undetectable cancer cells caused 4 transplant recipients, including a man, to develop breast cancer.  3 of them died.  This case emerged in Europe and was published in the scientific journal Transplant. Donor History of No Detectable Cancer The 53 yr old donor died of a stroke and had no detectable signs of cancer.  But doctors traced back the DNA in the cancer cells found in the 4 recipients.  The DNA matched that of the donor.  Scientists say the chance of something like this happening is 1 to 5 in 10,000 cases.  But, it's important research findings and something to be aware of.  The incidenc...