Lower Incidence of Breast and Prostate Cancers Found Among Organ Transplant Recipients in US

Strategic Insights -

Organ transplant recipients in the United States have a lower risk of developing breast and prostate cancers compared to the general population. To explore this observation, researchers conducted a case-control study using the SEER-Medicare database, examining US adults aged 65 years or older. The study found that solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) exhibited reduced risks for breast cancer (adjusted odds ratio = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.80) and prostate cancer (0.84, 95% CI = 0.71 to 1.00). These inverse associations were significant among screened individuals, although a borderline association for breast cancer was suggested in unscreened women.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed 252,279 breast cancer cases and 3,855,275 female controls, as well as 316,981 prostate cancer cases and 2,361,846 male controls, using the SEER-Medicare database.
  • Researchers found that solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) had a lower risk of breast and prostate cancers, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.60 for breast cancer and 0.84 for prostate cancer.
  • The inverse associations were significant among screened individuals, suggesting that pretransplant cancer screening may be a contributing factor to the reduced cancer risk among SOTRs.
  • A borderline association for breast cancer was suggested in unscreened women, indicating that other protective factors may be at play.
  • The study suggests that pretransplant cancer screening may be a key factor in reducing the incidence of breast and prostate cancers among organ transplant recipients.
  • The researchers concluded that there may be other protective factors contributing to the reduced cancer risk among SOTRs, beyond pretransplant cancer screening.

Statistics:

  • 252,279 - number of breast cancer cases analyzed
  • 3,855,275 - number of female controls
  • 316,981 - number of prostate cancer cases analyzed
  • 2,361,846 - number of male controls
  • 0.60 - adjusted odds ratio for breast cancer among SOTRs
  • 0.84 - adjusted odds ratio for prostate cancer among SOTRs
  • 0.45 to 0.80 - 95% confidence interval for breast cancer
  • 0.71 to 1.00 - 95% confidence interval for prostate cancer
  • 2000-2019 - time period of the SEER-Medicare database analysis

Sources:

  • JNCI Cancer Spectrum, 2025;9(5) (Journal reference)
  • NewsRx. Kaiser Permanente Northern California Reports Findings in Cancer (Pretransplant screening and lower incidence of breast and prostate cancers among organ transplant recipients in the United States). Clinical Trials Week. September 15, 2025; p 59 (News article reference)