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Bob Warzel had what he thought was a successful kidney transplant a year ago at UNC Hospitals. Two weeks later, he learned that the gift contained a hidden surprise – cancer.

Warzel, 66, who had the donated organ removed, has not developed the lymphoma evident in the kidney. But he and his wife, Patricia, have spent the last year struggling to learn how the incident occurred and working to make sure it never happens again.

The diseased organ came from Duke University Medical Center, reportedly recovered from a young man who died in a traffic accident. But the cancer wasn’t discovered until after his kidneys were transplanted – one in Warzel and the other in an unidentified patient at Duke.

The Duke patient’s body rejected the organ, and only then did tests reveal the cancer.

Beyond those basic facts, however, the Warzels have met stony silence as they have sought information about the donor, the eligibility screenings by the organ procurement agency or the suitability tests done at Duke.

“Everyone just wants us to go away,” Patricia “Pat” Warzel said.

Citing a federal privacy law – the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA – officials at Duke and Carolina Donor Services said that to protect the privacy of the deceased donor, they cannot speak about the specifics of the case.

In general, officials said, measures are taken to rule out donors who have diseases, including recent histories of cancer.

But “it’s impossible to guard against every eventuality,” said Lloyd H. Jordan Jr., chief executive of Carolina Donor Services, which arranges transplants in 78 North Carolina counties. “It is extremely rare that we have disease transmissions from a donor. It does happen, but it’s extremely rare.”

VIA: http://www.charlotteobserver.com