Book highlights rare but deadly complication

Drugs designed to prevent the immune system from attacking a newly transplanted organ can save lives. They can also lead to a rare but dangerous complication: cancer. Because these medicines suppress the immune system, patients who receive them are more at risk for infection. The drugs can also stop the immune system from searching for and weeding out malignant cells. Allowed to proliferate, these malignant cells can lead to a type of cancer called post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, says UF pediatric nephrologist Vikas Dharnidharka, M.D., M.P.H, who has edited the first book ever published on the disorder. Published in October, Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders features chapters written by leading experts in the field and the latest information on this rare but deadly complication.