Going by the findings of a new study, led by Jerry D. Brewer, of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., “solid organ transplant recipients,” including heart transplant patients, face a notably increased risk of developing multiple skin cancers.

For the study, published in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, Brewer and colleagues analyzed the medical records of 312 people who received heart transplants between 1988 and
2006 - averagely aged 47.4 years at the time of their transplant.

Upon extracting data pertaining to overall characteristics, cancers, risk factors and death of the patients, the researchers found that, on the whole, nearly 46.4 percent of the patients ended up developing skin cancer during the 19-year follow-up period – with the total number of skin cancers developed being as many as 1,395.

Specifically speaking, there were 1387 cases of the non-melanoma skin cancers - 1,236 of squamous cell carcinomas and 151 cases of basal cell carcinomas; five cases of malignant melanomas; and three other types of skin cancers.

In a Mayo Clinic release, the study authors said: “Although a considerable tumor burden was found in this study, the rate of death due to skin cancer was surprisingly low.”

The authors specified: “Only one patient died of skin cancer. Vigilant sun protection practices, skin cancer education, regular skin examinations and daily vitamin D supplementation are appropriate interventions in these high-risk... patients.”