Who decides? Living donor liver transplantation for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Few effective treatment options are available for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some transplant centers have begun offering living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for selected patients whose HCC exceeds Milan criteria by a small margin. However, this remains a controversial subject. In this article, we weigh the arguments for and against LDLT for advanced HCC. Because donor autonomy forms the crux of this dilemma, the real question becomes: to whom does the decision belong, the individual donors or the medical community? We argue that donor autonomy should not be paramount in settings where the recipient benefit is uncertain.