Liver Transplantation for T2 Hepatocellular Carcinoma during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Novel Model Balancing Individual Benefit against Healthcare Resources.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic caused temporary drops in the supply of organs for transplantation, leading to renewed debate about whether T2 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients should receive priority during these times. The aim of this study was to provide a quantitative model to aid decision-making in liver transplantation for T2 HCC. We proposed a novel ethical framework where the individual transplant benefit for a T2 HCC patient should outweigh the harm to others on the waiting list, determining a "net benefit", to define appropriate organ allocation. This ethical framework was then translated into a quantitative Markov model including Italian averages for waiting list characteristics, donor resources, mortality, and transplant rates obtained from a national prospective database (n = 8567

SUBMITTER: Cillo U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8003429 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature