Combined heterotopic liver-pancreas transplantation as a curative treatment for liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus in cystic fibrosis

Pancreas transplantation for cystic fibrosis: A frequently missed opportunity

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder. Despite optimized therapy, the majority of affected individuals ultimately die of respiratory failure. As patients with CF are living longer, extra-pulmonary manifestations may develop including pancreatic failure, which manifests as exocrine insufficiency, and CF-related diabetes (CFRD). Both of these can be managed through pancreas transplantation. Pancreas transplantation is usually performed in combination with another organ, most often with a kidney transplant for end-stage diabetic nephropathy. In the CF patient population, the two settings where inclusion of a pancreas transplant should be considered would be in combination with a lung transplant for CF pulmonary disease, or in combination with a liver for CF-related liver disease with cirrhosis. This report will discuss this topic in detail, including a review of the literature regarding combinations of lung/pancreas and liver/pancreas transplant.

Outcomes of Combined Liver and Pancreas Transplantation: A Review of the SRTR National Database and a Report of the Largest Single Center Series

Purposes: This study was intended to summarize the characteristics and clinical outcome of Liver and Pancreas (LPTx) recipients in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) database vs. the largest series from the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH), Sun Yat-sen University.

Methods: The clinical data of 23 patients who underwent LPTx from 2000 to 2016 in the United States and 31 patients who underwent modified LPTx procedure (known as simplified multivisceral transplantation [SMT]) from 2008 to 2017 in our center were reviewed. The indications, surgical techniques, patient and graft survival, and complications were compared between the two groups.

Results: All recipients in the FAH group were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, while 10 of 23 recipients were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus in the SRTR group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative patient survival rates were 81, 74, and 74% in the FAH group, respectively, and 51, 47, and 37% in the SRTR group, respectively (P = 0.023). No diabetes was observed during follow-up in the FAH group, while the diabetes recurrence rate was 22.2% in the SRTR group (P = 0.03).

Conclusion: With multiple techniques modified and indications changed, the SMT procedure yielded a preferable outcome compared to that of the traditional LPTx procedure in records of SRTR. SMT has become a treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease and concurrent diabetes.

Combined liver and pancreas transplantation in two children with cystic fibrosis-First experience in Australia and New Zealand

We report the first two pediatric patients with CF who underwent successful combined liver-pancreas transplantation in Australia and New Zealand for CF liver disease and CF-related diabetes mellitus.

A simplified multivisceral transplantation procedure for patients with combined end-stage liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

In liver transplant patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), the disease worsens after transplantation because of longterm use of diabetogenic immunosuppressive drugs, making management of those patients a great challenge. The objective of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a simplified multivisceral transplantation (SMT) procedure for the treatment of patients with end-stage liver disease and concurrent type 2 DM. Forty-four patients who had pretransplant type 2 DM were included. A total of 23 patients received SMT, and 21 patients received orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Patient and graft survivals, complications, diabetic control, and quality of life (QOL) were retrospectively analyzed in both groups. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative patient and graft survival rates were 91.5%, 75.4%, and 75.4% in the SMT group and were 94.4%, 64.4%, and 64.4% in the OLT group, respectively (P = 0.70). Interestingly, 95.7% (22/23) of patients achieved complete remission from DM after SMT compared with 16.7% (3/18) of patients after OLT. The occurrence of biliary complication was significantly higher in the OLT group than that in the SMT group (23.8% versus 0.0%; P = 0.01). Moreover, better QOL was observed in the SMT group than that in the OLT group. In conclusion, the SMT procedure we described here is a safe and viable option for patients with end-stage live disease and concurrent type 2 DM. This SMT procedure offers excellent transplant outcomes and QOL. Liver Transplantation 23 1161-1170 2017 AASLD.

Under Utilization of Pancreas Transplants in Cystic Fibrosis Recipients in the United Network Organ Sharing (UNOS) Data 1987-2014

Despite a high prevalence of pancreatic endocrine and exocrine insufficiency in cystic fibrosis (CF), pancreas transplantation is rarely reported. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data were used to examine utilization of pancreas transplant and posttransplant outcomes in CF patients. Between 1987-2014, CF patients (N = 4600) underwent 17 liver-pancreas, three lung-pancreas, one liver-lung pancreas, four kidney-pancreas, and three pancreas-only transplants. Of the 303 CF patients who received liver transplantation, 20% had CF-related diabetes (CFRD) before transplantation, and nine of those received a liver-pancreas transplant. Of 4241 CF patients who underwent lung transplantation, 33% had CFRD before transplantation, and three of those received a pancreas transplant. Of 49 CF patients who received a liver-lung transplant, 57% had CFRD before transplantation and one received a pancreas transplant. Posttransplantation diabetes developed in 7% of CF pancreas transplant recipients versus 24% of CF liver and 29% of CF lung recipients. UNOS has no data on pancreas exocrine insufficiency. Two-year posttransplantation survival was 88% after liver-pancreas transplant, 33% after lung-pancreas transplant, and 100% after pancreas-kidney and pancreas-only transplants. Diabetes is common pretransplantation and posttransplantation in CF solid organ transplant recipients, but pancreas transplantation remains rare. Further consideration of pancreas transplant in CF patients undergoing other solid organ transplant may be warranted.

Cystic Fibrosis Associated with Worse Survival After Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Survival in cystic fibrosis patients after liver transplantation and liver-lung transplantation is not well studied.

AIMS

To discern survival rates after liver transplantation and liver-lung transplantation in patients with and without cystic fibrosis.

METHODS

The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried from 1987 to 2013. Univariate Cox proportional hazards, multivariate Cox models, and propensity score matching were performed.

RESULTS

Liver transplant and liver-lung transplant were performed in 212 and 53 patients with cystic fibrosis, respectively. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression identified lower survival in cystic fibrosis after liver transplant compared to a reference non-cystic fibrosis liver transplant cohort (HR 1.248; 95 % CI 1.012, 1.541; p = 0.039). Supplementary analysis found graft survival was similar across the 3 recipient categories (log-rank test: χ(2) 2.68; p = 0.262). Multivariate Cox models identified increased mortality hazard among cystic fibrosis patients undergoing liver transplantation (HR 2.439; 95 % CI 1.709, 3.482; p < 0.001) and liver-lung transplantation (HR 2.753; 95 % CI 1.560, 4.861; p < 0.001). Propensity score matching of cystic fibrosis patients undergoing liver transplantation to non-cystic fibrosis controls identified a greater mortality hazard in the cystic fibrosis cohort using a Cox proportional hazards model stratified on matched pairs (HR 3.167; 95 % CI 1.265, 7.929, p = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS

Liver transplantation in cystic fibrosis is associated with poorer long-term patient survival compared to non-cystic fibrosis patients, although the difference is not due to graft survival.