Validity of patient skin cancer report among organ transplant recipients

Skin cancer is a common, potentially life-threatening malignancy in organ transplant recipients (OTR), and it is important for transplant physicians to be aware of patient history of skin cancer. Patient self-report represents a quick method of obtaining past medical history of skin cancer but no study has validated the self-report of skin cancer among OTR. Among 339 OTR with a history of skin cancer, the sensitivity and specificity of self-report of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) were 1.00 and 0.92, with a correct classification rate of 0.92. Breakdown of NMSC into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) resulted in a decrease in correct classification, to 0.83 for SCC and 0.74 for BCC. For SCC, sensitivity was 0.81 and specificity was 0.83, while BCC had a sensitivity of 0.52 and specificity of 0.86. Melanoma self-report had a sensitivity of 0.90 and specificity of 0.86, with a correct classification rate of 0.90. Overall, OTR have comparable accuracy of self-report with the general population. Owing to the high prevalence and increased risk of metastatic potential of skin cancer in this population, the ability to distinguish between cancer types is an important consideration in the dermatologic care of OTR.