The Current State of Pancreas Transplantation, Gaps in Knowledge

Rejection of the donor pancreas is one of the most common consequences of a pancreatic transplant. The immune system recognizes the transplanted pancreas as alien and assaults it at this point. Rejection normally happens within a few days or months of the transplant, although it can occur years later. A pancreatic transplant is a difficult and dangerous surgery. Complications may occur if your immune system recognizes the transplanted pancreas as alien and attacks it, or if blood clots develop in the blood arteries that supply the donor pancreas. After a pancreatic transplant, 95 percent of people survive the first year. More than 95% of patients survive the first year after receiving a pancreas transplant. About 1% of patients have organ rejection. After three years, the survival rate drops to 92.5 percent.