Increased risk of genitourinary cancer in kidney transplant recipients: a large-scale national cohort study and its clinical implications

Purpose: To investigate the risk of genitourinary (GU) cancer in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) compared to that in the general population, focusing on potential risk factors and clinical implications. Methods: Using a national cohort of approximately 360,000 individuals, including 31,542 KTRs, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the data from 2007 to 2018. Propensity score matching was used to compare KTRs with a healthy population, adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Results: We identified a significantly increased risk of GU cancers, particularly bladder and kidney cancers, in KTRs. Multivariate analysis revealed a higher risk of GU cancer associated with kidney transplantation [hazard ratio (HR) 2.133, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.641–2.772] and hypercholesterolemia (HR 1.725, 95% CI 1.227–2.425), with older age and male sex also being significant risk factors. Conversely, no significant increase in prostate cancer risk was observed in KTRs compared to the general population. Conclusion: This national cohort-based study indicated an increased risk of GU cancer in KTRs, underscoring the need for targeted cancer surveillance and pre- and post-transplant counseling. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of cancer surveillance programs for KTRs and highlight the necessity for further research in this field.