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Review
. 2023 Feb;22(1):14-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2022.10.004. Epub 2022 Oct 20.

A mixed blessing for liver transplantation patients - Rapamycin

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Review

A mixed blessing for liver transplantation patients - Rapamycin

Guang-Han Fan et al. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is an effective treatment option for end-stage liver disease. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, such as rapamycin, are widely used post LT.

Data sources: In this review, we focused on the anti-cancer activities and metabolic side effects of rapamycin after LT. The literature available on PubMed for the period of January 1999-September 2022 was reviewed. The key words were rapamycin, sirolimus, liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes, and lipid metabolism disorder.

Results: Rapamycin has shown excellent effects and is safer than other immunosuppressive regimens. It has exhibited excellent anti-cancer activity and has the potential in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence post LT. Rapamycin is closely related to two long-term complications after LT, diabetes and lipid metabolism disorders.

Conclusions: Rapamycin prevents HCC recurrence post LT in some patients, but it also induces metabolic disorders. Reasonable use of rapamycin benefits the liver recipients.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver transplantation; Metabolic disease; Rapamycin; Tumor recurrence.

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