Background: Skin cancers are more common in organ transplant recipients than in the general population.
Objective: The objective of this study was establish the historical link between organ transplantation, immunosuppression, and the development of skin cancer.
Methods: The pertinent literature in cutaneous oncology and transplantation is reviewed.
Results: There is a historical link between organ transplants, immunosuppression, and the subsequent development of skin cancers.
Conclusions: Organ transplant recipients have more skin cancer than those in the general population and this is temporally related to their degree of immunosuppression.