OKLAHOMA CITY — Experts at OU Health have completed the state’s first liver transplant for cholangiocarcinoma, a challenging and often deadly bile duct cancer. This milestone places OU Health among the few elite programs nationwide capable of treating bile duct cancers with transplantation, providing critical relief to Oklahomans who previously had to travel several hundred miles for this life-saving procedure. Cholangiocarcinoma, particularly hilar cholangiocarcinoma occurring where the ducts exit the liver, is one of the most lethal and difficult cancers to treat, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%.
Historically, the only potential cure involved surgically removing part of the liver, an option available to only 20-30% of patients due to the cancer’s aggressiveness and advancement at diagnosis. For those eligible, the surgery involves removing up to 70% of the liver, posing significant risks of morbidity and mortality. OU Health’s surgical oncologist, Dr.
Ajay Jain, led the team in treating the patient with a complex regimen of preoperative chemotherapy and radiation. Recognizing that a liver transplant offered the highest chance of success, Dr. Jain facilitated the procedure, now giving the patient a better chance of long-term survival.
Dr. Jain, who also serves as Oklahoma State Chair for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, emphasized the significance of this achievement, marking OU Health as a center with the expertise and resources.
