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Invited Commentary
September 4, 2024

Size Matters—Unpacking Sex-Based Disparities in Liver Transplants

Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
JAMA Surg. 2024;159(11):1299. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2024.3506

Female patients with end-stage liver disease are disadvantaged in receiving deceased donor livers (DDL) compared to male patients, leading to higher mortality rates on the waitlist.1 This disadvantage is due to the underestimation of their Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score from lower baseline creatinine levels and concerns about size mismatch.2,3 Although the MELD score has been revised to better represent female patients’ physiological condition,4 it remains unclear if these adjustments are sufficient for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who receive exception points, prioritizing them for transplant. To address this, Cron et al5 analyzed the nationwide Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database to evaluate whether access to transplant differs by sex for waitlisted patients with HCC.

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