A Life-Saving Gift Turned Fatal
Transplants typically symbolize resilience and renewal. In a deeply unfortunate turn of events, a 69-year-old Arizona man who received a liver transplant—a lifeline for his cirrhosis and liver cancer—tragically succumbed to a new, aggressive cancer. Medical investigations revealed that the malignancy originated not from his body, but from his donor—an undiagnosed maternal lung cancer that had silently spread to the donated liver. Despite chemotherapy and immediate treatment, the cancer swiftly overtook his health, leading to his death within six months.
According to medical experts, this appears to be the only documented case of lung cancer transmitted through a donor liver from someone with no known history of malignancy.
Understanding a Rare Medical Anomaly
Though frightening, such events—known as donor‑transmitted cancers (DTC)—are exceedingly rare. Research estimates the risk at a minuscule 0.01–0.05% for solid organ transplants.
