Pancreas

Abstract

Even though pancreas transplant numbers have steadily declined over the past decade, new listings increased in 2014 compared with the previous year, notably for pancreas transplant alone (PTA) and simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant. The number of new PTAs also increased over the past two years. Whether this is a sustainable trend remains to be seen. Significant events in 2014 included implementation of a new pancreas allocation system and development of a proposed uniform definition of pancreas graft failure. Meanwhile, overall pancreas transplant rates and outcomes continued to improve. Substantial decline in pancreas after kidney transplants remains a serious concern. SRTR has not published pancreas graft failure data in the program-specific reports for the past two years. While this will not change in the near future, the acceptance of a uniform definition of graft failure is a crucial first step toward resuming graft failure reporting. Continued improvements and innovation, both surgical and immunological, will be critical to keep pancreas transplant as a viable option for treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. As alternative therapies for diabetes such as islet transplant and artificial pancreas are evolving, improved outcomes with minimizations of complications are more important than ever.

Keywords: Pancreas after kidney transplant; pancreas allocation policy; pancreas transplant alone; simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant.