Background: De novo malignancies are one of the leading causes of death after liver transplantation (LT), particularly in patients transplanted for alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). This retrospective study aimed to assess risk factors for malignancies and to evaluate the impact of calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) discontinuation.
Methods: From 1990 to 2015, all patients transplanted for ALD were included.
Results: A total of 493 patients were included, 77.9% were male and the median age at LT was 54 years. After LT, 278 de novo malignancies were diagnosed in 214 patients (43.4%). The cumulative incidence of de novo malignancies was 16.3% at 5 years, 34.4% at 10 years, and 49.8% at 15 years. In multivariate analysis, the independent risk factors were male gender (HR = 1.6), and active or weaned smoking (HR = 2.0). Discontinuation of CNI was a protective factor (HR = 0.6). Survival after diagnosis of de novo malignancy was 42.7% at 5 years and 27.5% at 10 years.
Conclusion: Our results confirm the major incidence of de novo malignancies after LT for ALD, as well as the important role of non-modifiable risk factors such as smoking and gender. CNI discontinuation is a protective factor, and the only adaptable, and could be proposed in smoker male patients transplanted for ALD.
Keywords: alcohol‐related liver disease; calcineurin inhibitors; de novo malignancies; liver transplantation; survival.
© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.