A recent study conducted by researchers in Finland found a link between patients who undergo liver transplants and lymphoma. Research has shown that after enduring a liver transplant, the human body is almost three times more likely to be vulnerable and develop fatal forms of cancer.

The study, which has been published in a recent issue of Liver Transplantation, revealed that one out of six patients who receives a liver transplant is likely to be diagnosed with some type of cancer within the 20 year period after they receive their donor organ.

Study Details

According to the study, Helena Isoniemi and her colleagues reportedly tracked patients from Helsinki University Central Hospital who received liver transplants from 1982 to 2005. 540 liver recipients were analyzed in the study and of these patients, there were 39 cases of cancer. Among the types of cancers that are found to be most common in liver transplant patients are lymphoma and skin cancer.

"The most common cancer types in our cohort were lymphoma and skin cancer," explains the study’s lead author. "Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which included four cases of post-transplant lymphoproliverative disorder, occurred more frequently in males, in patients transplanted at a younger age and soon after transplantation."

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in the lymphocytes and affects the white blood cells that are present in the immune system. The cancer typically develops in the lymph nodes and can be detected when they enlarge. Lymphoma is closely related to lymphoid leukemia and although a great deal of research has been done regarding the illness, a cure for lymphoma has not yet been found.

"This study points out the importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation," says Isoniemi.

Tags: cancer Lymphoma "liver transplants" Research, liver transplants, Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Research