Cancer and Organ Donation... ?

Question

This is purely hypothetical; just something I've been wondering.

I know that you can't be an organ donor if you've been diagnosed with, or in some cases, have a history of cancer... I recently lost a family member who had wanted to be an organ donor but couldn't due to metastatic cancer.

But let's say your spouse needs a kidney to live, and you decide to donate one to him.  And let's say you have undiagnosed, asymptomatic cancer and a tumor on your kidney?  Do they screen all transplanted organs for cancer (before or after removal) if they have no reason to believe it's there in the first place?

Like I said, I'm just curious... what with the way HIV used to be transmitted through blood transfusions; I was wondering if it was possible to pass on undiagnosed cancer through organ transplants.

cruise junkie · Accepted Answer

i don't know about a cadaver ... but as a live donor, they put you through a checkup that you wouldn't believe.. it took about 4 months to get the go ahead. blood test ,,urine test ,, test I'd rather not mention and then a MRI that last over a hour...then more blood test.......so the chances of a cancer, or anything else getting through  is slim

Anonymous · Answer

No there are alot of tests that you have to undergo before you can be a donor.  And just because you want to give you spouce an organ doesnt mean that it is possible.  There are tests to determine if the body would even take the organ and I beleive that blood type is a contributing factor.

ullery · Answer

it may variety elsewhere yet the following in Australia the in basic terms organ we can donate is our cornea's. you may want to donate your entire body as a cadaver for clinical preparation and study.

sindi · Answer

no it wouldnt be transmitted due to the fact of all the screening

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Cancer and Organ Donation... ?

4 Answers