Pancreas transplant alone.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present article aims to review the current state of diabetes, including its treatment options, and highlight current issues in pancreas transplantation.

RECENT FINDINGS: Compared with other areas of transplantation, pancreas transplant/transplantation alone in the absence of kidney disease remains a relatively small field. As a consequence, reported new research articles are few in number, and often data regarding pancreas transplant/transplantation alone are mixed in with simultaneous kidney-pancreas and pancreas after kidney transplantation, which are covered separately. The prevalence of diabetes is reaching epidemic levels and continues to increase. New developments in diabetes care include the bionic pancreas and immunotherapy. Persistent efforts at gene and stem cell therapies are ongoing. Pancreas transplantation outcomes are improving, yet numbers are declining, even though pancreas transplantation still offers the most optimal glycemic control.

SUMMARY: Pancreas transplantation has improving outcomes but stands in competition with other diabetes management options.