Squamous Cell Carcinoma post transplant

My spouse kidney transplant over 7 yrs he was having annual skin body checks. THis spring at this appointment two areas were removed and sent for biopsy. THe next month the MOH procedure was performed for squamous cancer cells on face and melanoma on neck. THe many stitches in both areas healed well in 5 weeks. Now he needs to go to this same clinic/dermatology every 4 months until ? date. He rarely in 7 yrs is outdoors and when he is, he is covered head to toe like a mummy wearing sunglasses. I think the medications to keep organ from rejecting is the culprit of this more than Sun exposure. Just another thing to cope with taking these strong medications. Best to have a top notch dermatologist caring for you if you have a transplanted organ.

Hi @dotygl 😊
It is so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for sharing your husband's story. In addition to tbe MOHS surgery for his squamous and melanoma, did his dermatologist or transplant team discuss the possibility of taking oral retnoids or changing his immune suppression med to sirolimus instead of tacrolimis, etc?
Did your husband notify his team about the new skin cancers that were found?
Again, thank you so much for sharing. I am in discussion with my doctors regarding the best way to try and prevent more skin cancers, (but make sure to avoid rejection of my wonderful kidney!).

Hi @ckomis
May I ask a favor? After you ask your dermatologist about Efudex, can please post here with his thoughts?
I would love to get a few opinions on this strategy.
Many thanks!

The skin issues we have in later life is mostly due to the skin damage we experienced over many years. Immunosuppressants like Tacrolimus make us more vulnerable to melanoma but they don't cause it.

@jimb43581921
Long term use of immune suppression meds significantly increase the risk of skin cancers especially squamous and basal cell. Immune suppression also can allow the squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell to get aggressive and invasive very quickly.

Sure. The immunosuppression enables abnormal cells to go unchecked by the immune system, but it isn't responsible for causing the abnormal skin cells. Similarly, immunosuppressants do not introduce diseases into the body, it just makes the immune system bad at fighting them.

@jimb43581921
Yes, I agree Jim. According to one report, sun exposure synergizes with immune suppression meds to create a much worse outcome.

@hello1234 Hello, his team knows about the cancers and no changes in meds at this time. He is rarely outdoors and when he is , dressed head to toe like a mummy. We don't use Mayo clinic for health and live far from it. We used a different transplant clinic. I wish you well.

@hello1234 Thanks for writing. We are not using the Mayo clinic. I use their website to learn from others experiences as caregiver/spouse. The doctors all know about the skin cancer found/removed/healed well. Since transplant, my spouse is rarely outside anymore and when he is, dressed like a mummy. I wish you all the best.

@dotygl I'm into my 4th yar post kidney transplant. After the first year I began dermatology full body ceck which found a malignant melanoma right in the middle of my chest. I was told that MOHS was not an option for Melanoma removal so we did it the old fashioned way with a big cut on my chest and plenty of stitches to seal it up. Post op exam showed no residual. My team switched me from Tacrolimus to Sirolimus and prednisone. I was never too much of a sun person and at almost 80 years old it has been many years since I've done anything like that. We all have cancers that start up but our natural immune system stops them. The suppression of your immune system robs you of much of that. Good luck!