Liver Transplant Services
Liver transplantation for cancer is usually performed for patients with cirrhosis that have also been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is also known as hepatoma, or primary liver cancer. For early stage HCC, patients can often be cured by a liver transplant. Follow-up CT scans are needed to monitor for tumor recurrence. Occasionally, liver transplantation can also be done for other types of liver tumors.
The liver transplant program at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute is one of the oldest and largest transplantation programs in the United States and has the greatest worldwide experience in liver transplantation. Approximately 240 liver transplants are performed at the Institute each year. The first successful liver transplantation in the world was performed by the founder of this Institute: Thomas E. Starzl, MD, PhD.
In accordance with the philosophy of the program, the Institute provides transplantation services to all who will benefit, including patients who are considered high risk or unsuitable for transplant by others. Institute patients include larger than expected percentages of seniors, people with certain malignancies, and people who have received previous liver transplants. Yet survival for patients in adult, pediatric, and veterans' programs are consistently above nationally expected outcomes.
The Institute’s liver transplantation comprises three programs: an adult program based at UPMC Presbyterian, a pediatric program based at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and a program specifically designed for United States veterans based at the Oakland Veterans Affairs Medical Center (a part of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System). All three provide the full spectrum of services.