In well-selected patients with a history of early-stage melanoma and an appropriate time interval between melanoma treatment and transplant, post-transplant outcomes are favorable. This according to a recent study that investigated how a pretransplant history of melanoma impacts patient survival and melanoma recurrence. Duke University’s retrospective database was used to identify 4,552 patients who underwent a solid organ transplant at the university from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2016. Data with regard to the transplant, melanoma characteristics, rejection episodes, and survival were recorded. Researchers found:

• Of total patients who underwent a solid organ transplant, 12 (0.3%) had a history of melanoma before transplant (6 with melanoma in situ and 6 with stage I disease).
• The median time between melanoma diagnosis and transplant was 4.13 years (range: 1.1–13.3 years).
• The study cohort consisted of 4 liver transplants, 4 lung transplants, 1 kidney transplant, 1 heart transplant, 1 small bowel transplant, and 1 multivisceral transplant.
• At the median follow-up time of 2.8 years, 10 (83.3%) patients were alive.
• In nonmelanoma cohorts, the 3-year survival is 70% for thoracic transplants, 78% for liver transplants, and 88% for kidney transplants.