Why can't we do pancreas transplants for people with diabetes?

Although a pancreas transplant is an attractive option for people with diabetes, it isn’t feasible for everyone. Pancreas transplants are only recommended for those who experience kidney damage as a result of their diabetes. The reason being that during most cases of pancreas transplant surgery, the recipient must also receive a kidney transplant in order to maintain optimal health and functioning after surgery. Additionally, organ rejection risks are high and often require lifelong immunosuppressive therapies and medications to prevent organ rejection.

Another factor that makes more traditional treatments preferable is the cost associated with such surgeries; although advances have been made to decrease costs, they remain extremely high due to factors such as surgical complexity, pre- and post-operative care costs, medication costs associated with immunosuppression therapy, monitoring expenses over time along with many other contributing factors. Finally, there is also the risk of death associated with acute or chronic complications from these types of procedures which can potentially outweigh the benefits for certain individuals making traditional treatments much safer options overall despite their limits in controlling diabetes symptoms.