J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 121(2): 177-183, 2020

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Feature topic

KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Currently, there are about 330,000 Japanese dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease, and Japan has the world’s highest number of dialysis patients per population. Kidney transplantations have exceeded 1,800 cases annually in Japan. Kidney transplants comprise the largest number among all organ transplants and are increasing each year. However, about 90% are kidney transplants from living donors, and there is a donor organ shortage in Japan compared with the situation worldwide. Although long-term patient survival and long-term graft survival can be expected after kidney transplantation, malignant tumors in recipients are expected to increase. In the future, there will be an increase in 1) renal transplantation to recipients who have developed antibody positivity presurgically, 2) multiple transplantation such as secondary or tertiary transplantation, and 3) multiple-organ transplantation including pancreas-kidney, liver-kidney, and heart-kidney transplantation. This article discusses the current status and future prospects of kidney transplantation in Japan.

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