Use of FK 506 in pancreas transplantation

Transplant International : Official Journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation
R W GruessnerA C Gruessner

Abstract

Until recently, FK 506 was used only for rescue therapy after pancreas transplantation. We report our initial experience with FK 506 for 67 pancreas recipients (treated between 1 May 1993 and 30 April 1995). Of these recipients, 49 (73%) received FK 506 for induction and maintenance therapy, 12 (18%) for rescue or antirejection therapy, and 6 (9%) for reasons other than rescue or antirejection therapy. In our induction and maintenance therapy group, 32 recipients (65%) underwent a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant (SPK), 8 (16%) a pancreas transplant alone (PTA), and 9 (19%) a pancreas after previous kidney transplant (PAK). Quadruple immunosuppression was used for induction; the median FK 506 starting dose was 4 mg/day p.o. and target levels were 10-20 ng/ml. The most common side effects were nephrotoxicity (16%) and neurotoxicity (14%); transient episodes of hyperglycemia were also noted (12%), in particular in the presence of concurrent rejection and infection episodes. A matched-pair analysis was done to compare graft outcome with FK 506 versus cyclosporin A (CsA). For SPK recipients, pancreas graft survival at 6 months was 79% with FK 506 versus 65% with CsA (P = 0.04), for PTA, 100% versus 63% (P > 0.35), and for PA...Continue Reading

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