Best clinical practice in kidney transplant and cancer clinics
Itunu Owoyemi, Ben Sprangers, Adam Bregman, Everly Ramos, Allison Webber, Naoka Murakami, Basia Michalski-McNeely, Elisa Gordon, Christopher D. BlosserPurpose of review
Transplant onconephrology is an evolving subspeciality within nephrology that focuses on the interaction between cancer and the kidney. The goal of this subspecialty is to provide optimal care for people with cancers who are risk or develop cancer-related kidney complications or nephrotoxicity from cancer therapeutics. This goal is accomplished through application of increasing knowledge about transplant nephrology and oncology.
Recent findings
People with a history of malignancy who are evaluated for kidney transplant need careful risk assessment to inform candidacy, immunosuppression management and prevent post-transplant recurrence. Post-transplant malignancies occur frequently and are a leading cause of death in kidney transplant recipients. People with pre- and post-transplant cancers experience significant stressors and healthcare demands, and benefit from multidisciplinary clinical care to address their high-risk conditions.
Summary
This review provides a comprehensive overview of the best practices of outpatient clinical care for the growing population of high-risk patients with cancer before and after kidney transplant based on clinical experience and available data.