• More than 50% of cancer cases in renal transplant recipients are skin cancer. • It is important to identify patients at risk and personalize screening. • Primary skin cancer prevention includes education, photoprotection, skin monitoring. • Sun protection education primarily includes limiting sun exposure, using sunscreen. • Patients should have regular full skin examinations and skin self-examination. Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) require long-term immunosuppression, which contributes to the increased incidence of skin cancer. The purpose of this literature review is to present interventions aimed at preventing skin cancer in RTRs. The publications were selected using the PubMed database. The following inclusion criteria were considered: kidney transplant recipients, adult patients, works on skin cancer, articles no older than 5 years. 10 articles met the inclusion criteria (8 original works and 2 reviews). A total of 201 860 RTRs participated in the research. The data from the included articles form the basis of this review. Primary prevention of skin cancer in RTRs consist of educational interventions, sun protection, skin self-examination, skin monitoring by a dermatologist and a treatment of precancerous lesions. Research confirms that regular use of filter preparations reduces the incidence of cancerous lesions. Therefore, sun protection education should be provided to all organ transplant recipients (OTRs). Patients are recommended to undergo regular skin self-examinations and a full dermatological examination with a frequency depending on the risk group. The risk of progression of precancerous lesions to cancer in OTRs is significantly higher than in the general population, therefore the treatment of precancerous lesions is an important procedure in primary prevention. Primary prevention efforts should be individualized based on the identification of patients at risk. Further research is needed to identify barriers to adherence to skin cancer prevention recommendations, the timing of preventive interventions and the division of responsibilities within the treatment team.
Nowogrodzka et al. (Fri,) studied this question.