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Receiving kidney transplants may put recipients at an increased risk of skin cancer.

While it is unclear if donor tissue contributes to cancer formation, new research reveals that donor tissue can lead to cancer formation in transplant recipients.

Lead researcher Philippe Ratajczak and colleagues found that donor tissue can lead to caner formation in transplant recipients.

They looked at tumor cells and transplant tissues from a small sample of kidney transplant patients that had subsequently developed skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

They identified the presence of skin tumor cells that were the same genotype as the donated kidney and contained a mutation in a known cancer-causing gene in one kidney recipient.

Researchers said that cells with this mutation were present in kidney biopsy samples taken at the time of transplant.

In an accompanying article, researchers not involved in the study said the findings have important implications for cancer research and clinical care of transplant recipients.

The findings are published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.