WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 -- Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) have a high risk for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) metastases, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Estella de Jong, M.D., from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study in 19 specialist dermatology outpatient clinics in 15 countries to examine the incidence and associated risk factors of metastatic cSCC among SOTRs.

The researchers found that 514 SOTRs presented with 623 primary cSCCs; metastases developed in 37 patients, for a two-year patient-based cumulative incidence of 6.2 percent. Location in the head and neck area, local recurrence, size >2 cm, clinical ulceration, poor differentiation grade, perineural invasion, and deep invasion were risk factors for metastases. The highest risk for metastases was seen for a high-stage tumor that is also ulcerative, with a two-year cumulative incidence of 46.2 percent.

"Because of the study design and complex nature of the different immunosuppressive regimens, it was not possible to draw firm conclusions on their risk of cSCC metastases, and future studies are necessary to investigate the association in more depth," the authors write.