Immunotherapy Before Solid Organ Transplantation: An International Transplant Community-Focused Survey
1University of Toronto - University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 3Multi-organ transplant program, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
Meeting: 2022 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: 1332
Keywords: Malignancy, Public policy, Safety
Topic: Clinical Science » Public Policy » 21 - Non-Organ Specific: Public Policy & Allocation
Session Information
Session Name: Non-Organ Specific: Public Policy & Allocation
Session Type: Poster Abstract
Date: Monday, June 6, 2022
Session Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Presentation Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Hynes Halls C & D
*Purpose: The use of immunotherapy for cancer has increased and is expected to continue to grow. The outcomes after solid organ transplantation (SOT) in patients having received immunotherapy before SOT remain unclear. We sought to evaluate the global transplant surgery community’s attitude and experience with patients who have received immunotherapy for malignancy before SOT.
*Methods: An online-based survey was sent to North American transplant directors in December-2020 and to members of the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) in November-2021 to evaluate experiences with, and attitudes towards, SOT in recipients with previous immunotherapy for cancer. Descriptive summary statistics were reported.
*Results: 134 respondents provided consent to participate in the survey and 91 completed the survey for a completion rate of 68%. Respondents represented center experience from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Most represented centers from the United States (n=22, 24%), followed by India (n=9, 10%), and Spain (n=4, 4%). Fifty-eight (64%) respondents would consider offering a SOT to a patient with previous history of immunotherapy for cancer. Thirty (33%) respondents were aware of such recipients receiving immunotherapy for cancer before a SOT. The majority (n=69, 77%) of respondents reported an absence of institutional clinical management policies in this setting.
*Conclusions: Though this survey’s response rate was relatively low, it provides preliminary insight into the attitudes and experiences with SOT after immunotherapy for cancer in the international transplant community. This represents a clinical scenario for which outcomes should be clarified and consensus guidelines established to inform future clinical management, especially as immunotherapy for cancer is likely to increase in coming years.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Ivanics T, Claasen MP, Al-Adra D, Sapisochin G. Immunotherapy Before Solid Organ Transplantation: An International Transplant Community-Focused Survey [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2022; 22 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/immunotherapy-before-solid-organ-transplantation-an-international-transplant-community-focused-survey/. Accessed May 30, 2025.« Back to 2022 American Transplant Congress