Study: Right-sized donor livers scarce for female cancer patients

Editor's Note

A recent study in JAMA Surgery showed women with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were 8% less likely than men to receive a liver transplant and 6% more likely to die or be removed from the waitlist, Healio reported September 9.   

The study, which analyzed 31,725 adults waitlisted for a liver transplant between 2010 and 2023, suggests that this disparity is largely due to the smaller size of female candidates, which limits the availability of appropriately sized donor livers, Helio reports. Although recent changes to the MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) 3.0 score system have aimed to address sex-based disparities by incorporating factors like sex and creatinine levels, the study found that the disparity persists, particularly among shorter women.

According to the article, efforts to improve access to size-appropriate donor livers for smaller candidates, regardless of sex, could help reduce these inequities.