Background: It is well-documented that patients who have undergone organ transplantation have a higher incidence of new skin cancers and that this risk is magnified over time and with continued exposure to immunosuppression. We report on our two-year experience as a specialty transplant dermatology clinic and advocate for the coordination of dermatologic care for transplant patients.

Methods: We retrospectively examined all newly referred transplant patients seen in the first two years of clinic operation. During their initial consultation, patients were evaluated for all cutaneous lesions.

Results: A total of 210 newly referred transplant patients were evaluated including 125 men and 85 women. The majority of patients received a kidney transplant (77.6%) although a wide variety of organs and combinations of allografts was seen. Among the 210 patients there were over 50 distinct dermatologic diagnoses excluding benign nevi and lentigines. These included over 20% who had either malignant (12.4%) or pre-malignant (9%) lesions. No melanomas were identified. Transplant patients of all Fitzpatrick skin types were found to have cutaneous malignancies.

Conclusion: Specialized transplant dermatology should be considered an essential part of transplant care. In our specialized med-surg dermatology transplant center, within two years of operation, a large number of previously undiagnosed serious dermatologic conditions were found. All lesions were diagnosed at an early stage and treated successfully. Each patient underwent targeted, intensive education to reduce future risk.

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