A pancreas transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a malfunctioning pancreas with a healthy one that is obtained from a suitable donor. A donor is someone who has agreed to make their organs available for use by someone else after their death.
Type 1 diabetes is a long-term (chronic) condition where the pancreas produces no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in a person’s blood.
See the Health A-Z topic about Type 1 diabetes for more information about the condition.
The pancreas
The pancreas is a narrow organ that is approximately 10cm long and is located behind the lower part of the stomach.
The pancreas secretes (releases) a number of hormones into the blood, including insulin, which is produced by small clusters of cells called islets. It also secretes pancreatic juices that help to digest food.
The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is not fully understood, but it is thought that the immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection) attacks the insulin-producing islets, damaging them and preventing them from making insulin.
By having an operation to transplant a new, healthy pancreas, a person with type 1 diabetes has a new source of insulin. This reduces their risk of developing serious complications, such as kidney disease, and means that they no longer have to inject themselves with insulin on a daily basis.
How common are pancreas transplants?
Over recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of pancreas donors and pancreas transplants.
For example, in the UK during 2008 to 2009, there were 308 pancreas donors, resulting in 171 pancreas transplants being performed.
Also, during this period, there were 131 simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplants. See Pancreas transplant - why it is used for more information about combined pancreas and kidney transplants.
Outlook
Pancreas transplants have survival rates of around 97-98%.
Most pancreas transplants have positive results, with over 75% of transplants working one year after surgery, and continuing to working for an average of eight years after the transplant.
Research also shows that people with diabetes who have a pancreas transplant have better long-term survival rates compared with those who are treated with insulin injections.
Studies have shown that the five year survival rates of people with type 1 diabetes, who experience symptoms of neuropathy (nerve damage) improve from 50% to 90% after having a successful pancreas transplant.