Case Report: Prostate cancer transmission by heart transplant (1997)

Most recent risk assessment for prostate cancer (Council of Europe, 2022): If Gleason score is available, e.g., prostate diagnostics have been initiated a few days before organ procurement, then small intra-prostatic, low-grade (Gleason score ≤ 6) tumours are considered minimal-risk; intra-prostatic tumours with Gleason score 7 are considered low-to-intermediate risk; and intra-prostatic (pT2c) tumours with Gleason score > 7 are considered high-risk. Histological examination of the entire prostate with a valid grading of the tumour is time-consuming and the results might not always be available before an organ is transplanted. Donors with extra-prostatic tumour extension should be unequivocally excluded from the donation process as an unacceptable risk. Prostate cancer in the donor history: The acceptable time intervals for complete remission of prostate cancer are strongly correlated with stage and Gleason grade of the tumour. Donors with a history of curatively treated prostate cancer ≤ pT2 (tumour confined to prostate) and Gleason 3 + 3, as well as donors with very small prostate cancers and Gleason 3 + 3 under ‘active surveillance’, can be accepted for organ donation as minimal transmission risk at any time after diagnosis with the prerequisite of a frequently performed and non-suspicious follow-up. Prostate cancer < pT2 (confined to the prostate) and Gleason grade < 7 after curative treatment and cancer-free period > 5 years is considered minimal-risk. Higher stages/grades and/or shorter cancer-free periods require an individual risk assessment. A history of extra-¬prostatic tumour extension poses a high risk for transmission. In any case, current PSA values should be obtained to compare to former ones and to assess the actual situation.