Liver transplant: a primer

Liver transplant has been accepted as a successful therapeutic option for patients with end-stage liver disease. Patient and graft survival has incrementally increased over the past 2 decades, mainly because of immunosuppressive regimens. However, the nonspecific nature of immunosuppressive agents is associated with an increased risk of development of opportunistic infections, renal impairment, metabolic derangements, neurotoxicity, de novo malignancies, and recurrence of the primary disease. Immunosuppressive regimen pharmacologic classes include calcineurin inhibitors, antimetabolites, mTOR inhibitors, steroids, and antibody-based therapies. These agents affect T-cell-dependent B-cell activation, and target different sites in the T-cell activation cascade by inhibiting T-cell activation or causing T-cell depletion. The goals of immunosuppression in solid-organ transplant are to prevent allograft rejection as well as optimize allograft function, prolong patient survival, and improve patient quality of life. Therefore, it is essential to carefully select the immunosuppressive regimen that will result in significant improvements in long-term liver transplant patients' survival and quality of life.