Rare Case of Cancer Transferred From Donated Organs Claims 3 Lives
An alarming new type of cancer case has erupted into attention recently, as four adults developed breast cancer after receiving vital organs from the same donor. Three of these individuals have already died according to the case report.
Despite the many different strides that have been made against it in recent times, cancer is a disease that still manages to stump many experts in just how it works. In fact, even recently, it seems that doctors and professionals are finding new ways in which this disease functions. One recent type of cancer case that was previously thought to not exist was found out recently. This involved organ donation, and occurred in the United Kingdom. This case has been labeled the first ever transfer of breast cancer through vital organs to four different recipients. The cancer remained dormant, and occurred years after the donation had been done.
Upon analyzing the DNA of the recipients it was discovered that the primary source of cancer was from the vital organs received from the original donor. This rare case has many experts stumped as they are alarmed at this form of cancer transferal that was previously thought to be impossible. Apparently the original tissues that existed within the donor can still cause chances of cancer when transferred to a recipient – and even years after, there is a possibility of cancer.
The chance of someone becoming a victim of cancer from a transferred organ is about 0.1 percent, which is especially what made this particular case so intriguing. The chances of all four donors becoming a victim of breast cancer is something that is astronomically low, which is why it seems like there was something else undiscovered that was actually at work here.
The donor, a 53-year-old female who died from complications of a brain bleed, underwent the standard tests and imaging studies used for donation. At the time, the tests did not reveal any kind of notable problem, and as such, the donation was processed and given to four recipients in 2007. Within just 2 years of this transferal, the recipients were diagnosed with breast cancer, and one-by-one fell victim to it. The only survivor was the recipient managed to live only because he removed the transplanted kidney in time, and had chemotherapy to treat with the cancerous nodes that formed.
Cases like these often cause a lot of intrigue in medical experts, because while it is an unfortunate event, it takes them one step closer towards understanding just what cancer is and how it really functions. Before this case, organs were often thought to be safe, if they showed no sign of alarm during their initial inspection, but now it seems that there are still chances of cancerous organs to remain active and cause cancer in bodies of their new recipients. It’s a thought-provoking yet equally terrifying thought, and is something that many experts plan on looking into.
While the exact reasons of this event still remain a mystery, experts believe that in the case of such an event, a quick and effective removal of the transplanted organ is a must. If there is any delay in doing so, there is a good chance that one will not only suffer from an ailment like cancer but also fall victim to it.
