Survival Rate of Liver Transplantation in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Liver transplantation is one of the most effective treatments for acute liver failure, chronic liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was implemented to evaluate the survival rate of liver transplant in Asia.

Studies that investigated the survival rate of liver transplant were selected using a systematic search strategy in the following databases: Medline, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane to November 30th, 2020. The extracted data were entered into the Excel software. Then, stata 16.0 was used for analysis. The search identified 3046 articles of which, 713 were duplicates and 2156 deemed as irrelevant after reading titles and abstracts. Also, 51 articles were excluded as they were not original (i.e. letter, commentary, review) or did not meet the inclusion criteria. As such, 117 studies, involving 406,646 participants, were included in this meta-analysis.

In this study one, 2, 3, 5, and 10-year survival rates of liver transplant were estimated to be 85%, 80%, 75%, 73%, and 71%, respectively.

This study suggests that the survival rate of liver transplant in Asia is comparable with the corresponding rate reported in the United States and Europe. This study provides a better and more clear view of the efficiency of medical cares, regarding liver transplantation.