Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in organ transplant recipients (OTRs). People who have undergone organ transplants and are therefore taking immunosuppressant treatment are 250 times more likely to develop an AK than immunocompetent individuals. They also have a 100-fold higher risk of developing invasive SCCs.

This means that all patients who have received an organ transplant need on-going preventative treatment and regular monitoring of their skin. Organ transplant recipients are now routinely educated about the risks of developing skin cancer, but some patients still fail to protect their skin adequately. This is often because prescribed products are difficult or unpleasant to use while good quality sunscreen products are expensive.

Another important factor is the popular myth that some sunscreens are carcinogenic. However, the evidence for effectiveness of high-factor sunscreens is compelling. One study involving 120 transplant patients compared patient education about sun protection with education plus provision of a high-factor sunscreen over a two-year period. The results showed that 53 per cent of AKs in the sunscreen group went into spontaneous remission.

In addition, eight new invasive SCCs occurred in the control group compared with none in the sunscreen group. Adherence to the sunscreen regimen was high in the study.