This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS

Estimated risk of cancer transmission from organ donor to graft recipient in a national transplantation registry. BJS 2014; 101: 768-774.

Published: 28th April 2014

Authors: R. Desai, D. Collett, C. J. E. Watson, P. Johnson, T. Evans, J. Neuberger et al.

Background

Transplanted organs carry the risk of inadvertent donor cancer transmission. Some cancers in organ donors have been classified as being associated with a high or unacceptable risk, but the evidence for such recommendations is scanty.

Method

The risk of cancer transmission from donors characterized as high or unacceptable risk was studied by analysing transplant and cancer registry data. Donors and recipients from England (1990–2008) were identified from the UK Transplant Registry. Cancer details were obtained from cancer registries and classified using guidelines from the Council of Europe and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing.

Results

Of 17 639 donors, 202 (1·1 per cent) had a history of cancer, including 61 donors with cancers classed as having an unacceptable/high risk of transmission. No cancer transmission was noted in 133 recipients of organs from these 61 donors. At 10 years after transplantation, the additional survival benefit gained by transplanting organs from donors with unacceptable/high‐risk cancer was 944 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 851 to 1037) life‐years, with a mean survival of 7·1 (95 per cent c.i. 6·4 to 7·8) years per recipient.

Conclusion

Strict implementation of present guidelines is likely to result in overestimation of cancer transmission risk in some donors. Organs from some donors with cancers defined as unacceptable/high risk can be used safely.

Full text

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Network meta‐analysis of urinary retention and mortality after Lichtenstein repair of inguinal hernia under local, regional or general anaesthesia.

Authors: J. H. H. Olsen, S. Öberg, K. Andresen, T. W. Klausen, J. Rosenberg

Original article

Outcomes of surgery for benign and malignant adrenal disease from the British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons’ national registry. BJS 2019; 106: 1495-1503.

Authors: N. Patel, R. J. Egan, B. R. Carter, D. M. Scott‐Coombes, M. J. Stechman, A. Afzaal et al.

Estimated risk of cancer transmission from organ donor to graft recipient in a national transplantation registry. BJS 2014; 101: 768-774.

Background

Method

Results

Conclusion

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Network meta‐analysis of urinary retention and mortality after Lichtenstein repair of inguinal hernia under local, regional or general anaesthesia.

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Outcomes of surgery for benign and malignant adrenal disease from the British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons’ national registry. BJS 2019; 106: 1495-1503.