Dear Dr. SerVaas: My aunt has colon cancer. She is also on kidney dialysis. I would like to donate my kidney for her. I would like to know if it is possible for her to qualify to get on a list for a kidney transplant. Is there any problem being on the kidney transplant list if one has colon cancer? I believe she is on chemotherapy for that.
Peggy Cox
Mesa, Arizona
Dear Reader: Your aunt could receive a kidney transplant after successful cancer therapy, says Dr. Mark Pescovitz, director of the organ transplantation program at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Pescovitz specializes in transplantation of the adult and pediatric kidney, pancreas, and liver, and is an internationally recognized transplant researcher. He provides the following response to your kind letter:
"In general, you can be a kidney donor as long as you have no medical problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
"The main issue, however, is whether your aunt is healthy enough to get a kidney. Typically, patients who are being treated with anticancer drugs are not considered candidates for a transplant. For colon cancer in particular, we generally wait at least two years after the cancer is cured before doing a transplant.
"In cases in which the cancer has spread to the lymph glands or liver, it is much less likely that the person would be considered for transplant. The reason is that the drugs used to prevent rejection of the donated kidney weaken the immune system. The immune system helps prevent or control cancer. Subsequently, if an individual was placed on antirejection drugs and the cancer was not completely gone, it could spread very quickly and lead to an early death from cancer."
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