Access

Published online 18 February 1999 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news990218-1

News

Counting the cost of cyclosporine

An increased risk of cancer is one of the most feared side-effects of the powerful immunosuppressant drugs which have immeasurably improved the success of organ and bone marrow transplantation. For a long time the increased cancer rates seen in immunosuppressed patients were believed to be entirely an effect of the damping-down of the immune system, and with it the body’s presumed ability to detect and destroy incipient cancer cells.

Comments

Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email redesign@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.