As organ transplantation becomes very common, with hundreds of thousands of transplant recipients in the US and over one million world wide, complications of transplantation have become a major health problem. Skin disease is a very common finding in these patients. In fact, the most common cancer after transplantation is skin cancer, with a 10-64 fold increased incidence over the general population. The field of transplant dermatology has grown significantly as this topic becomes a common problem faced by dermatologists worldwide.
There are books on other medical conditions associated with transplantation, including osteoporosis (Elsevier), infectious disease (Raleigh. Transplant Infections; Lippincott) and neurological problems (Wijdicks. Neurologic complications in organ transplant recipients. Butterworth-Heinemann) But there are only the peer reviewed medical articles and review articles on the numerous aspects of dermatological disease in organ transplant recipients. So a book is timely and much needed.
The book will initially cover the essential principles of transplantation for those outside the specialty. It will then go on to describe the unique pathological processes at work in the transplant patient that give rise to the various types of skin disease. The next section covers the effects on the skin of the various immunosuppressant drugs used in transplantation. The greater part of the book then goes on to describe the individual types of skin problem that occur in the transplant recipient (infectious, inflammatory, malignant).
One of the sections is edited by Dr Stockfleth (Berlin) who has founded the SCOP-Network (Skin Care in Organ Transplant Patients) which represents a new type of multi national cooperation in the field of transplant-dermatology.
The target audience would include dermatologists, dermatologic surgeons, plastic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, transplant physicians, transplant surgeons (kidney, heart, liver), transplant coordinators and nurses, as well as the libraries of transplant centers, medical schools, and departments of dermatology.
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Outline reviews
"This is a subject of growing interest among dermatologists, plastic surgeons and transplant physicians. The body of knowledge about the field has become more defined over the past few years. The proposed table of contents, although rough, covers the subject in a comprehensive fashion. As one element of the target audience will be transplant physicians with a limited knowledge of Dermatology, I would suggest including short sections (perhaps side-bars) with color clinical photos describing the condition, its diagnosis and conventional treatment as a reference for the non-dermatologist. The proposed topics will cover the state of knowledge in transplant dermatology. Both editors are excellent writers with a great command of the subject. Previous publications by both authors are of the highest quality. Dr. Salasche's previous text on cutaneous anatomy is a true classic in the field. Both are leaders in Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. They have helped develop and bring awareness to the field of Transplant Dermatology. Dr. Otley was the founding president of the International transplant Skin Cancer Collaborative and Dr. Salasche is the second and current president. Both are highly regarded as speakers and opinion leaders. To my knowledge there are no competing titles. There have been special issues of journals (Dermatologic Surgery, Dermatologic Therapy) devoted to the topic, but by nature such publications are not comprehensive. Several texts have a chapter devoted to Transplant Dermatology, usually an overview. There are no direct competitors. I think it would appeal to physicians who deal with organ transplant recipients as there is no current ready reference. The field is evolving so therapy and ideas about causation are changing. That being said, more knowledge will be acquired, but no breakthroughs or major revolutions in thought seem to be on the horizon. This book will be a very worthwhile project. In lecturing on the subject, I have found great interest among dermatologists. For about 8 years I gave a Focus Session on Skin Cancer in Organ Transplant Patients at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. The sessions were always well attended with a full room (50-100 attendees depending on the venue). The majority were new attendees and there always were many questions." Tom Stasko
"There is a clear need for this textbook among dermatologists, dermatology trainees, transplant physicians, and general practitioners/subspecialists who participate in the primary care of organ and bone marrow transplant recipients. Significantly, the number of transplant recipients in the community and the life expectancy of these recipients have increased dramatically over the past 2 decades and continue to increase. As dermatological issues (particularly skin cancers) become more clinically significant as time following transplantation increases, this field will continue to gain in importance for all involved. The coverage as described in the textbook summary is comprehensive and highly appropriate. I can only comment on the proposed layout of the textbook - in my view this layout is extremely well suited to a comprehensive, clinically useful textbook on the subject of transplant dermatology. The editors and proposed contributors have outstanding and unique expertise in the field. Many are members of an international society recently formed to further the science and clinical practice of dermatology in the context of organ and bone marrow transplantation. I could not find any comparable text book. As far as I'm aware, the proposed text would be the first devoted to transplantation-related dermatology. I would expect the book to retain very high clinical relevance and accuracy for approximately 5 years. After this much of the core content would remain relevant but selective updating would be required on sections devoted to pathophysiology, epidemiology, immunosuppressive regimens, and, probably, clinical studies of skin disease in transplant patients." Matthew Griffin
