BACKGROUND: Since 2002, the Model of End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score has been the basis of the liver transplant (LT) allocation system. Among older adult LT recipients, short-term outcomes in the MELD era were comparable to the pre-MELD era, but long-term outcomes remain unclear.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using the UNOS data on patients age ≥50 years who underwent primary LT from February 27, 2002 until October 31, 2011.

RESULTS: A total of 35,686 recipients met inclusion criteria. The cohort was divided into 5-year interval age groups. Five-year over-all survival rates for ages 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, and 70+ were 72.2%, 71.6%, 69.5%, 65.0%, and 57.5%, respectively. Five-year graft survival rates after adjusting for death as competing risk for ages 50–54, 55–59,60–64, 65–69 and 70+ were 85.8%, 87.3%, 89.6%, 89.1% and 88.9%, respectively. By Cox proportional hazard modeling, age ≥60, increasing MELD, donor age ≥60, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), dialysis and impaired pre-transplant functional status (FS) were associated with increased 5-year mortality. Using Fine and Gray sub-proportional hazard modeling adjusted for death as competing risk, 5-year graft failure was associated with donor age ³60, increasing MELD, hepatitis C, HCC, and impaired pre-transplant FS.

CONCLUSIONS: Among older LT recipients in the MELD era, long-term graft survival after adjusting for death as competing risk was improved with increasing age, while over-all survival was worse. Donor age, hepatitis C, and pre-transplant FS represent potentially modifiable risk factors that could influence long-term graft and patient survival.

Keywords: Age Groups, Liver Transplantation, Patient Outcome Assessment