Astrocytoma in a renal transplant recipient: A rare case report

SummaryMalignancy is considered to be the third most common cause of death in renal transplant recipients. The etiology of posttransplantation malignancy seems to be multifactorial. This report describes a rare case of astrocytoma following renal transplantation. We encountered a 28-year-old man who presented with a 20-day history of headache, vomiting, and blurred vision prior to admission. The patient was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and underwent two renal transplantations at 8 and 2 years prior, respectively. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed a predominant lymphocytic pattern and increased protein levels. Brain imaging showed two separate ill-defined hypodense lesions. The patient underwent a stereotactic brain biopsy, from which the tumor was classified as a histological grade II astrocytoma. He received a course of radiotherapy treatments and his condition improved. The systematic screening of renal transplant recipients for cancer should be performed in order to enable early intervention when necessary.

癌症是腎臟移植接受者的第三大死因，其發生可能歸因於多方面的因素。本個案是一位28歲的男性，於接受腎臟移植後罕有的出現星狀細胞瘤。病人分別於8及2年前先後接受兩次腎臟移植，而在本次住院前20日，病人開始出現頭痛、嘔吐及視覺模糊等症狀。腦脊髓液分析顯示淋巴球為主及蛋白質增多的現象，腦部造影則發現兩個分開且邊緣模糊的低密度病灶。立體定位腦部切片顯示病灶屬於WHO組織學第II級星狀細胞瘤。病人在接受了放射線療法後呈現持續改善。本個案說明了，腎臟移植接受者應及早接受癌症篩檢，以利治療的有效實施。