Current status and future of lung transplantation

Lung transplantation has been performed successfully outside Japan since 1983 in patients with end-stage lung disease. More than 9,000 lung transplants have been reported in The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. In contrast, a transplant law became effective in Japan only recently, and four universities were designated as official lung transplant centers (Okayama, Osaka, Kyoto and Tohoku Universities). In October 1998, the first successful living-donor lobar lung transplantation was performed at Okayama University. Since then, seven lung transplants (four from living donors and three from cadaveric donors) have been successfully performed in Japan. Although lung transplantation offers acceptable prospects for 5-year survival, chronic rejection and donor shortage remain to be major problems. In an effort to address the donor shortage issue, living-donor lobar lung transplantations have been performed with satisfactory intermediate survival and functional results.