Liver transplantation for cancer (Milan criteria and beyond)
Replacing the whole diseased liver cures both the cancer and the cirrhosis underneath it, for patients whose tumours are small enough.
Mazzaferro's Milan criteria (1996: one tumour ≤5 cm or up to three ≤3 cm, no vascular invasion) yield ~70% five-year survival. Expanded criteria (UCSF, up-to-seven, AFP-adjusted) and downstaging with TACE/TARE widen eligibility; living-donor transplantation (Asan Medical Center performs the world's highest volume) relieves organ shortage. Transplantation for unresectable colorectal liver metastases (TRANSMET, 2024) and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (Mayo protocol) is expanding.
How it works
Total hepatectomy and grafting removes the tumour and the pre-malignant cirrhotic field; immunosuppression is balanced against recurrence risk.
- Only therapy that treats cancer and cirrhosis together
- Best long-term survival for early HCC
- Organ shortage and waiting-list dropout
- Lifelong immunosuppression; checkpoint inhibitors before transplant risk rejection
Latest papers
topQuery for this technology: (TITLE:"Liver transplantation for cancer" OR ABSTRACT:"Liver transplantation for cancer" OR TITLE:"Milan criteria and beyond" OR ABSTRACT:"Milan criteria and beyond") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Liver transplantation for cancer (Milan criteria and beyond), not a curated reading list.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- TermDownstaging and conversion therapy
Shares BCLC staging, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Colorectal cancer.
- PersonTanios Bekaii-Saab
Shares Mayo Clinic, Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Colorectal cancer.
- InstitutionKorean Cancer Study Group
Shares Asan Medical Center, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Colorectal cancer.
- TechnologyRadioembolisation (TARE / SIRT, yttrium-90)
Shares Organ tropism: seed and soil, Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Hepatocellular carcinoma, Colorectal cancer.
- TermTACE (transarterial chemoembolisation)
Shares BCLC staging, Hepatocellular carcinoma.
- TermCirrhosis
Shares BCLC staging, Hepatocellular carcinoma.
- TermPortal vein tumour thrombus (macrovascular invasion)
Shares BCLC staging, Hepatocellular carcinoma.
- TermChild-Pugh score
Shares BCLC staging, Hepatocellular carcinoma.