Introduction:

Renal transplantation has been considered the best renal replacement therapy for end-stage chronic kidney disease, even though it carries a number of risks among which cancer is increasingly prominent. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the impact on this population.

Objective:

To understand and synthesise the scientific evidence on the incidence of neoplasms in renal transplant patients, as well as the related variables.

Methodology:

A systematic review was carried out including 14 articles from Pubmed, Scopus, Scielo, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. The MeSH terms used were: neoplasms, kidney transplantation, incidence, risk, risk factors. Original articles written in English and Spanish, studying adult transplanted population were included.

Results:

Fourteen articles with observational design were included. The main variables that emerged from the review were: overall incidence, demographic data and previous treatments, other associated characteristics, most frequent tumours and preventive measures.

Conclusions:

TThe incidence of neoplasms in transplant patients is high, especially in the older age group and in patients with immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporine and azathioprine; the latter, together with transplantation from cadaver, being the main risk factors found. Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most prevalent and prevention measures include routine screening, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and promotion and enhancement of hepatitis B vaccination.