Commercial cadaveric renal transplant: an ethical rather than medical issue

Donor organ shortage is a universal problem. The organ source has been extended to controversial death-penalty outlaws in certain countries. It was claimed that commercial transplant had a worse short-term clinical outcome. The aim of this study is to investigate the long-term outcome of patients receiving commercial cadaveric renal transplant. Seventy-five renal transplant recipients receiving long-term follow-up were included. Thirty-one patients received overseas commercial cadaveric transplant. Forty-four patients had legal domestic transplant in Taiwan. The age of the patients receiving the commercial cadaveric transplant was significantly older than those with legal domestic transplant (commerical vs. legal: 46.1 +/- 11.4 vs. 35.6 +/- 9.0 yr old, p < 0.001). The renal function estimated by creatinine and 1/creatinine up to eight yr showed no significant difference between the two groups. The graft survivals of the two groups were not different. The mortality rate between the two groups was comparable in 10 yr (91.1% in domestic and 88.9% in overseas). There was no significant difference in de novo viral hepatitis, cytomegalovirus infection, and acute rejection. The clinical outcome of overseas commercial cadaveric transplant was not different from the domestic legal transplant. To stop the unethical procedure, ethnicity and humanity are the major concerns.