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Sunlight, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer pp 203–214Cite as

Solar UV-Radiation, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer Surveillance in Organ Transplant Recipients (OTRs)

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 624))

Abstract

During the last decades, the annual numbers of performed solid organ transplants continuously increase world-wide. For example in the United States of America (US) alone, it has been reported by the United Network for Organ Sharing, that over 25,000 solid organ transplantations were performed in 2003 (based on OPTN data as of January 1, 2004).l It is now well recognized, that solid organ transplant recipients (OTR) have an increased risk to develop malignancies, with skin cancer representing the most common malignancy.2 Additionally, OTR in general develop a more aggressive form of these malignancies. Therefore, dermatologic surveillance is of high importance for OTR and these patients represent an increasing and significant challenge to clinicians including dermatologists. In OTRs, patient and organ survival have increased considerably and continuously over the past two decades as a result of better immunosuppressive regimens and better posttransplant care. However, it now has become evident that the more effective immunosuppression regimens have as an unintended consequence resulted in more frequent and aggressive skin cancers.3–6 It has been convincingly demonstrated that the incidence of skin cancer increases with survival time after transplantation.3 The biological behavior of these malignant skin tumors demonstrates a much more aggressive profile when compared to the non-immunosuppressed population, leading to considerable cutaneous morbidity, mortality and decrease in quality of life.

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  1. Clinic for Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, The Saarland University Hospital, 66421, Homburg/Saar, Germany

    Jörg Reichrath & Bernd Nürnberg

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  1. Jörg Reichrath
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  1. Clinic for Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, The Saarland University Hospital, Homburg/Saar, Germany

    Jörg Reichrath

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Reichrath, J., Nürnberg, B. (2008). Solar UV-Radiation, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer Surveillance in Organ Transplant Recipients (OTRs). In: Reichrath, J. (eds) Sunlight, Vitamin D and Skin Cancer. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 624. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77574-6_16

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