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Sun protection education has unclear effects on post-transplantation skin cancer incidence

Although sun protection education can effectively change behavior in solid organ transplant recipients, its influence on post-transplantation skin cancer incidence remains unclear, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“Promoting sun protection remains central to skin cancer prevention in this high-risk population,” Sean Z. Wu, AB, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and colleagues wrote. “Although patient counseling on sun protection is routine post-transplantation…there has been no evidence-based analysis of the efficacy of such educational measures in [solid organ transplant recipients].”

Because skin cancer is common in solid organ transplant recipients, Wu and colleagues systematically examined the efficiency of educating transplant recipients on skin cancer and sun protection. They searched Medline (PubMed), the Cochrane Library, EBSCO CINAHL, and Ovid EMBASE for literature on interventional patient education studies published between January 1995 and March 2016.

The researchers analyzed data from seven studies that meet the inclusion criteria; however, no study examined the direct effect of sun protection education on skin cancer occurrence in transplant receivers. They found that two randomized controlled trials showed how educational intervention improved sun-protective behavior and decreased sun-exposed skin pigmentation or skin damage. Three randomized controlled trials compared how two difference forms of patient education affected changing sun-protective behavior, but failed to examine patient-oriented outcomes.

“Together with skin self-examinations and dermatologist-performed full-body skin examinations, sun protection education is a key part of the current strategy to decrease skin cancer morbidity and mortality in [solid organ transplant recipients],” Wu and colleagues wrote. “Additional well-controlled, longitudinal trials are necessary to understand the effects of interventions on skin cancer morbidity and to optimize outcomes in out treatment of transplant recipients.” – by Savannah Demko

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.