Head and neck cancer in living donor liver transplant recipients: Single center retrospective study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of head and neck cancer in living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients. This is a retrospective cohort study. A case-matched (1:4) comparison between recipients with and without developed head and neck cancer after LDLT was conducted. The differences between 2 groups were analyzed. The incidence of head and neck malignancy in our cohort was 9 of 453 (1.98%). Their cumulative survival rate was below 60% at 24 months after the diagnosis of head and neck cancer, and no recipients lived for more than 2 years after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer. In the case–control study, univariate analysis revealed that alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 8.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55–49.56) and smoking (OR = 6.71, 95% CI: 1.20– 37.44) were factors associated with the incidence of head and neck cancer after LDLT. In the conclusion, recipients with head and neck cancer after LDLT may have a rather poor prognosis, especially those who are initially diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. Alcohol consumption and smoking may be the predisposing factors to head and neck cancer in LDLT recipients.