2022 Volume 57 Issue 3 Pages 249-255
【Objective】 To scrutinize the status of lung transplantation in Japan, the Japanese Society of Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation started to collect and present registry data in 2005. This is the 18th official registry report of Japanese lung transplantation.
【Design and Methods】 The data on cadaveric lung transplantation and living-donor lung transplantation performed by the end of 2021 were registered in the database and analyzed regarding the number of transplants, recipient survival rates, recipient functional and working statuses, and causes of death after transplantations. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method.
【Results】 A total of 658 cadaveric lung transplantation (350 single, 308 bilateral), 270 living-donor lung transplantation, and 3 heart-lung transplantation procedures were performed by the end of 2021. The number of cadaveric lung transplants reached the record high of 93 in 2021. Five-year and 10-year survival rates of cadaveric lung transplantations were 73.7% and 61.4%, which were superior to those in the international registry. Five-year and 10-year survival rates of living-donor transplantations were similar to those of cadaveric lung transplantation with 73.8% and 62.5%. The 3 recipients of heart-lung transplantation are all alive. The functional status of approximately 80% of recipients was restored to the mMRC scale of grade 0 or 1 after cadaveric and living-donor lung transplantations. The mMRC of the 3 heart-lung transplant recipients was grade 0. Infection has been the leading cause of death after lung transplantation. The number of deaths from chronic lung allograft dysfunction, malignancy and post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disease have been increasing in recent years.
【Conclusion】 The outcomes of Japanese lung transplantation are so far satisfactory. The modified Japanese transplantation law has been enforced since July 2010, and an increase in the number of cadaveric organ transplantations was achieved after that. In 2020, the number of lung transplants decreased due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, in 2021, the number recovered and reached a record high. The Japanese Society of Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation will continue to present annual reports of Japanese lung transplantations.
