Polish surgeons perform pioneering liver transplant technique in world first

Surgeons in Poland have performed the world's first chimeric liver transplant, pioneering a new technique that could expand treatment options for selected patients with advanced liver cancer by allowing the liver to regenerate before temporary donor tissue is removed.

The groundbreaking procedure was carried out at the Medical University of Warsaw (WUM) on a 47-year-old woman whose advanced liver tumour could not be removed through conventional surgery because too little healthy liver tissue would have remained.

To overcome this challenge, Professor Michał Grąt and his surgical team developed a novel "chimeric graft" approach, as the Euractiv publication highlights.

During the operation, the patient's liver was temporarily removed from her body, the tumour was excised ex situ, and the remaining healthy portion of her liver was combined with a fragment from a donor liver to create a single, functioning organ.

“The donor fragment served as temporary biological support while the patient’s own liver regenerated,” Grąt explained.

After one week, surgeons confirmed that the patient's liver had regenerated sufficiently and removed the donor tissue, leaving her with her own fully functional liver.

According to WUM, this is the first procedure of its kind ever performed.

Milestone in European medical community

The breakthrough has been hailed as a major achievement for both Polish and European medicine.

“It is another example of Polish medicine setting global standards,” Adam Jarubas, Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT), told Euractiv.

He argued that advances such as the Warsaw procedure demonstrate the need for European legislation to keep pace with rapidly evolving medical technologies.

The achievement further strengthens the Medical University of Warsaw's reputation in transplant medicine. Its Liver Rare Disease Centre has received an "Excellent" rating in European evaluations and has previously introduced several pioneering procedures in Poland, including the country's first liver autotransplantations and its only adult living-donor liver transplantation programme.

Beyond its medical significance, the outlet notes how the operation comes as the European Union prepares new legislation covering biotechnology and organ transplantation.

Jarubas, who serves as the European Parliament's rapporteur for the proposed revision of the EU directive on the quality and safety of human organs for transplantation, said the successful operation illustrates why the bloc's regulatory framework must evolve alongside scientific progress.

“Innovative transplantation techniques require legislation that keeps pace with medical progress, increasing legal certainty and building trust among both patients and healthcare professionals,” he said.

The proposed revision forms part of the European Commission's broader Biotech Act package unveiled in late 2025. Jarubas is expected to present the European Parliament's draft position to the SANT committee on September 2.

By Nazrin Sadigova