Ask our experts your questions.
Kim M. Olthoff, MD and Abraham
Shaked, MD, PhD answered your questions
about organ and tissue donation.
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Wilberort asks:
Is it possible for someone with colon cancer which has spread to the
liver as well as to other organs to receive a liver transplant, so
as to extend the life expendency?
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Dr. Shaked responds:
Whether a person who once had Hepatitis B can be a donor first depends
on if the person is fully cured. Also, there is the possibility of
that person being a carrier of the disease. To find out one must have
their serology checked by a gastroenterologist. Based on the results
of this test, a more definite recommendation can be made as to donor
eligability.
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George asks:
Is it possible for someone with colon cancer which has spread to the
liver as well as to other organs to receive a liver transplant, so
as to extend the life expendency?
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Dr. Olthoff responds:
Unfortunately, patients with metastatic colon cancer are not candidates
for liver transplantation. Early in the history of liver transplantation
this was done with devastating results. Therefore this is actually
a contraindication to transplantation.
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Kim
M. Olthoff, MD is Associate Professor
of Surgery in the Department of Surgery at
the University of Pennsylvania, and is the
Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation
at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The liver transplant program at Penn and CHOP
is one of the 10 busiest in the country. Dr.
Olthoff received her medical degree from the
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
and completed a residency in general surgery
at the UCLA School of Medicine followed by
a fellowship in transplantation and hepatobiliary
surgery at the Dumont -UCLA Transplant Center.
Dr. Olthoff's areas of clinical interest include
adult and pediatric liver transplantation and
living donor liver transplantation in children
and adults. She also has a large experience in
the surgical treatment of hepatobiliary malignancy
and benign disease, and organizes a weekly multidisciplinary
case management conference focusing on tumors
of the liver and bile ducts, where therapeutic
decisions are made on individual patients. A
special area of interest is transplantation for
hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr. Olthoff is active in academic surgery, and
currently serves as a the Secretary for the Association
of Academic Surgeons, a member of the Council
for The Society of University Surgeons, a council
member for the International Pediatric Transplant
Association, and on numerous committees for the
American Society of Transplant Surgery and the
American Society of Transplantation. She also
serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal
of Surgical Research and Pediatric Transplantation,
with guest reviews for Lancet, Cancer, Transplantation
and Hepatology. Dr. Olthoff has published in
many scientific journals including Hepatology,
Transplantation, Annals of Surgery and Nature
Medicine. Her research focuses on liver regeneration
after injury and transplantation, as well tumor
biology in the immunosuppressed patient.
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