Safety of Donation From Brain-dead Organ Donors With Central Nervous System Tumors: Analysis of Transplantation Outcomes in Korea

Background: This study aims to verify the condition of recipients of solid organs from donors with central nervous system (CNS) tumors and determine the risk of disease transmission due to transplantation.

Methods: Twenty-eight brain-dead organ donors with CNS tumors and 91 recipients who received solid organs from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2014 in Korea were investigated using the Korean Network of Organ Sharing data.

Results: Of the 36 recipients of organs from the 11 donors whose pathological results were not verified, 4 developed the following tumors: renal cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ of the cervix uteri, B-cell lymphoma, and colon cancer. Among 51 recipients from 17 donors with CNS tumor, no recipient had the same tumor as the donors. Six were classified as high-risk donors according to the World Health Organization classification, and 14 recipients from these donors did not develop tumor after transplantation. The remaining 11 donors were classified as low-risk donors according to the World Health Organization classification but as high-risk donors according to the Malignancy Subcommittee of the Disease Transmission Advisory Committee of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing. Of the 37 recipients, 3 had recurring hepatocellular carcinoma with lung and bone metastases, thyroid cancer, and Kaposi's sarcoma after transplantation.

Conclusions: The risk of disease transmission due to organ transplantation from donors with CNS tumors was very low. Thus, organ donation from such donors should be promoted actively to expand the donor range.