Data from Elevated Cutaneous Smad Activation Associates with Enhanced Skin Tumor Susceptibility in Organ Transplant Recipients

March 2023

Kelly A. Harradine, Katie Ridd, Elise F. Saunier, Frederic F. Clermont, Jesús Pérez‐Losada, Dan H. Moore, Ervin Epstein, Boris C. Bastian, Rosemary J. Akhurst

TGF-β signaling nonmelanoma skin cancer organ transplant recipients antirejection drugs P-Smad2 P-Smad1/5/8 BMP signaling pathway keratoacanthoma TGF-beta signaling skin cancer transplant patients ARD Smad proteins bone morphogenetic protein signaling skin tumor

TLDR Higher TGF-β signaling may increase skin cancer risk in organ transplant recipients.

The study investigates the role of TGF-β signaling in the increased susceptibility to nonmelanoma skin cancer in organ transplant recipients taking antirejection drugs (ARD). Analyzing over 200 cutaneous lesions from 87 transplant recipients and 184 lesions from non-recipients, the researchers found significantly higher levels of P-Smad2 in both lesional and nonlesional tissues of transplant recipients (P ≤ 0.001). However, P-Smad1/5/8 levels, markers of the BMP signaling pathway, were not generally elevated in ARD patients, except in keratoacanthoma cases (P ≤ 0.005). The findings suggest that elevated TGF-β signaling, indicated by increased P-Smad2, may contribute to the higher cancer risk in these patients.

View this study on aacrjournals.org →