A major review of past studies looked at kidney transplant patients who had a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Researchers compared two types of anti-rejection medicines. One group switched to a drug called sirolimus, while the other stayed on their current medicine.
The main finding was that patients taking sirolimus had about a 50% lower chance of getting another skin cancer within two years. This is a meaningful reduction in risk for these vulnerable patients.
However, there was a trade-off. Patients taking sirolimus were much more likely to stop the medicine due to side effects. The review found no clear difference between the groups in the risk of kidney rejection or death.
The evidence for the skin cancer benefit was strong, but the evidence for side effects was less certain. The review included only four small trials, and results for side effects varied between studies.
Doctors should carefully select patients and monitor them closely if they consider using sirolimus to prevent more skin cancers after a transplant.