Any state associated with reduced immune function will predispose to the development of malignancy, because of the normal function of the immune system in recognising and killing tumour cells. Renal failure is associated with a degree of immune dysfunction but this is multiplied in the case of renal transplant recipients on long term immunosuppressive therapies.
It is important to give advise to reduce this risk e.g. use of high factor sunscreens to prevent skin cancer.
In adults, the types of cancer seen are similar to those seen in the rest of the population, but in children the majority are lymphomas, predominantly non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Most of these so-called post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are B-lymphocyte in origin and driven by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection.