Pancreas Transplant FAQs
Reasons for a Pancreas Transplant
The Pancreas is responsible for supplying the body with insulin, a hormone that regulates how sugar is absorbed into the blood stream. When the pancreas generates an insufficient amount of insulin, that patient is considered type 1 diabetic. Transplanting a healthy pancreas into the patient can restore the production of insulin, and is the most common reason for pancreatic transplantation. It is comparatively rare for type 2 diabetics to be treated with a pancreas transplant, since they tend to produce sufficient insulin, but are resistant to its effects.
Pancreas transplants are typically performed in conjunction with other types of organ transplants, namely the Kidney.
Researchers are also conducting clinical trials for the transplantation of the islets of langerhans, the cells responsible for insulin production. Islet cell transplantation is less invasive than a full pancreas transplant, and may help address organ shortages for pancreas transplants.
A pancreas transplant may also be performed in the treatment of certain cancers, mainly pancreatic or bile duct cancer.
How Many?
In 2024, there were only 6 pancreas transplants performed in Pennsylvania, and only 114 pancreas transplants performed nationally.1 In comparison, with 34 total dual kidney & pancreas transplants performed in PA in 2024 and 733 were performed nationally that same year.2
The higher rate of dual transplants is mainly due to 2 factors. First diabetes, the primary reason for pancreas transplants, can also cause kidney disease; an estimated 1 in 3 adult diabetics have kidney disease3, meaning the population most likely to require a pancreas transplant heavily overlaps with the population requiring kidney transplants. Second, transplantation is a costly procedure that incurs risks, both from major surgery and from the lifelong immunotherapy required afterward. Since type 1 diabetes is manageable via less invasive means, it’s rarely worth it to treat diabetes with transplantation. In cases where a patient requires a transplant of a different organ (often a kidney), then they will be incurring the risk of transplantation either way, so the benefit of transplanting the pancreas increases.
To recap, it’s rarely worth the risk of transplanting the pancreas on its own. Diabetics, the population most likely to need a pancreatic transplant, are predisposed to kidney damage requiring transplantation. When one transplant is already required, the cost benefit analysis of pancreatic transplantation shifts in favor of transplantation.
Survivability Rates
US Pancreas transplants have a 1 year patient survival rate of 91.52%.4 Interestingly, the survival rate is higher for dual kidney & pancreas transplants, at 96.02%.5 Graft survival rate is also higher at 94.41%6 compared to 82.35% in single pancreas transplants,7 meaning the transplanted organs are more likely to function for longer.
Average Time on Waiting List
Average Cost
Pancreas transplants are the second least expensive single organ transplant procedure, averaging just over an estimated 600,000 dollars billed per procedure in the US in 2025.10
The cost of the individual procedure is not the whole picture, however. Prescription drug costs are also a major factor in overall financial burden. Transplant patients require lifelong immunosuppressant prescriptions in order to prevent their immune system from rejecting the donor organ. These medications can be costly depending on insurance coverage.
Travel costs are also a factor. There are only so many transplant centers in the United States, so prolonged travel is not uncommon for transplant patients receiving care, especially for rural patients, who already struggle with healthcare access. In Pennsylvania in 2024, 39% of transplant patients had to travel more than 150 nautical miles for their treatment. Nationally, that percentage increased to 46% for the same year.11
Risks
Aside from the usual risks of major surgeries, heart transplants incur several risk:
- Organ Rejection – The body has an adverse reaction to the donor organ
- Primary Graft Failure – The donor pancreas fails to function; this appears especially common in pancreas transplants, which have a 1 year graft failure rate of 82.35%12
- Medication side effects – Immunosuppressants needed to prevent organ rejection can cause kidney damage and increase the risk of infection and other medical issues
How Can I Help?
The biggest barriers to transplantation are cost and supply. You can help address these issues by:
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- National Institute of Health ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- OPTN Metrics ↩︎
- OPTN Metrics ↩︎
- OPTN Metrics ↩︎
- Gift of Life ↩︎
- Gift of Life ↩︎
- 2025 U.S. organ and tissue transplants: Estimated costs and utilization, emerging issues, and solutions ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- OPTN Metrics ↩︎