Primary immunosuppression with tacrolimus after liver transplantation: 12-years follow-up

The early safety and efficacy of tacrolimus after liver transplantation has been shown in two multicenter trials. Herein, we report our single-center long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. As part of a European multicenter trial, 121 patients entered the study at our institution and were randomly assigned to receive either tacrolimus and steroids ( n=61) or a quadruple protocol ( n=60) using ciclosporin A, steroids, azathioprine, and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). Twelve-year figures of patient survival were 74% in the tacrolimus group and 66% in the cyclosporine-based group. Graft survival after 12 years was 69% in the tacrolimus group compared to 56% in the cyclosporin-based group (not significant, p=0.15). The total rate of graft loss and retransplantation decreased significantly in the tacrolimus arm ( p