Mortality assessment for pancreas transplants in the United States over the decade 2008-2018

BACKGROUND Pancreas transplant is the only treatment that establishes normal glucose levels for patients diagnosed with diabetes.However,since 2005,no comprehensive analysis has compared survival outcomes of:(1)Simultaneous pancreas-kidney(SPK)transplant;(2)Pancreas after kidney(PAK)transplant;and(3)Pancreas transplant alone(PTA)to waitlist survival.AIM To explore the outcomes of pancreas transplants in the United States during the decade 2008-2018.METHODS Our study utilized the United Network for Organ Sharing Standard Transplant Analysis and Research file.Pre-and post-transplant recipient and waitlist characteristics and the most recent recipient transplant and mortality status were used.We included all patients with type I diabetes listed for pancreas or kidneypancreas transplant between May 31,2008 and May 31,2018.Patients were grouped into one of three transplant types:SPK,PAK,or PTA.RESULTS The adjusted Cox proportional hazards models comparing survival between transplanted and non-transplanted patients in each transplant type group showed that patients who underwent an SPK transplant exhibited a significantly reduced hazard of mortality[hazard ratio(HR)=0.21,95%confidence intervals(CI):0.19-0.25]compared to those not transplanted.Neither PAK transplanted patients(HR=1.68,95%CI:0.99-2.87)nor PTA patients(HR=1.01,95%CI:0.53-1.95)experienced significantly different hazards of mortality compared to patients who did not receive a transplant.CONCLUSION When assessing each of the three transplant types,only SPK transplant offered a survival advantage compared to patients on the waiting list.PKA and PTA transplanted patients demonstrated no significant differences compared to patients who did not receive a transplant.