Study: Five-Year Survival for Face Transplant Is 85 Percent
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 24, 2024 -- The overall survival for face transplants is encouraging, with 10-year survival at 74 percent, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Surgery.
Pauliina Homsy, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Helsinki, and colleagues examined the overall survival of the first 50 face transplants in the world (18 centers in 11 countries; 2005 to 2023).
The researchers reported that transplants were performed on 39 men (81 percent) and nine women (19 percent) with a median age of 35 years (range, 19 to 68 years) at the time of the transplant. During a median follow-up of 8.9 years, six transplants were lost, with two patients retransplanted. Ten patients died, two of whom had lost a transplant. The five-year survival of transplants was 85 percent, and 10-year survival of the transplants was 74 percent. Survival was significantly predicted by the sequential number of the transplant in the world. For the transplants that were lost, the median number of acute rejection episodes per year was 1.2 compared with 0.7 for the transplants that survived. There was no correlation with patient and transplant variables for either transplant survival or the number of rejection episodes.
"These data suggest that the acceptable long-term survival of face transplants makes them a reconstructive option for extensive facial defects," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to industry.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
Presurgical Immunotherapy Offers Long-Term Benefit in Melanoma
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- Neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) followed by adjuvant treatment with nivolumab and relatlimab offers long-term benefit in adults with stage III/IV...
Cell Therapy MDR-101 Produces Functional Immune Tolerance in Kidney Transplant Recipients
TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 -- Kidney transplant recipients receiving the investigational cellular product MDR-101 achieved functional immune tolerance for more than two years...
Velar Adhesion Reduces Cleft Width Prior to Palatoplasty in Cleft Lip
TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 -- For patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), velar adhesion (VA) reduces cleft width prior to palatoplasty and is associated with a lower...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.