An estimated 50 million Americans must take immunosuppressants to treat more than 80 autoimmune disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health. These medications are particularly vital to the survival of people who have undergone organ transplants to prevent their bodies from rejecting their donor organ.
While immunosuppressants can be life-saving, their very action of reducing the body's innate defense systems can have negative side-effects. One particularly dangerous concern is an increased risk for skin cancer, particularly for those individuals with fair skin or an inherited tendency to develop skin cancers. (My colleague Tracie White told the story of one transplant patient's struggle here earlier this summer.)
To address the specialized needs of patients taking immunosuppressants or with compromised immune function, Stanford dermatologists recently launched the High-Risk Skin Cancer Clinic.
In this Stanford Health Care video, the clinic's Carolyn Lee, MD, PhD, explains the particular vulnerabilities of transplant patients to aggressive skin cancer and the importance of a dedicated clinic to meet their needs. "What we hate to see -- and it's easily preventable -- is someone who's been waiting for a transplant to finally get it, only to be felled by skin cancer," she says.
Previously: Rebuilding Cassie's smile: A lung transplant patient's struggle with skin cancer and This summer's Stanford Medicine magazine shows some skin
