Lymphoma, A Complication of Renal Allotransplantation in Man

Three cases of reticulum cell sarcoma occurred in 151 renal allotransplant recipients during the course of 438 patient years of survival, an incidence of 0.7% per year. This incidence was more than 100 times greater than that in the general population and far greater than that for other types of malignant tumors in transplant recipients. It is suggested that the presence of the foreign organ transplant together with the immunosuppressive therapy was responsible for this remarkable increase in the incidence of lymphoma. Nevertheless, the benefits of renal transplantation with current methods still make it the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease.