Meta‐analysis of public perception toward xenotransplantation

Abstract

The shortage of donor organs for transplantation is an international problem. One promising option to meet the need is xenotransplantation (XTx; eg, pig‐to‐human). However, there are still questions surrounding XTx that must be answered before proceeding to clinical trials. The current work is a meta‐analysis of articles published between 1985 and 2019 to analyze the factors most strongly associated with agreement and opposition toward the procedure. Although 80% (41/51) of the published studies were related to the opinions of patients, only three provided sufficient data for analysis. Thus, the bulk of what we really know about attitudes toward XTx comes from students, stakeholders, and hospital staff. The findings suggest that, before proceeding from the laboratory to clinical trials, more directed research is necessary from individual programs to achieve sufficient understanding of the attitudes of patients and the broader public, and the level of risk that is acceptable to these groups.

Pig kidney xenotransplantation: Progress toward clinical trials

“…There have been numerous surveys of relatively small groups within the community, and also of members of the healthcare professions 51,52 . Several surveys and focus groups have been carried out at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.…”

Commentary on the manuscript: "Meta‐analysis of public perception towards xenotransplantation"

“…Therefore, although sometimes we have the impression that there is ample knowledge in a certain field of knowledge, the meta‐analysis of psychosocial studies, such as that presented by Mitchell et al in the present issue of the journal, requires special attention in order to clarify the great heterogeneity in studies presented, and to locate the knowledge that is really part of this subject. The meta‐analysis is a way, the best way we have today, to have more in‐depth information on a topic.…”

“…In this same sense, it allows us to select the least sensitized population groups towards xenotransplantation, as can be seen in Table 1. However, the reality in most cases is what Mitchell et al reflects, scattered studies with different methods, and regarding these differences we cannot judge whether the differences in outcome are real or the consequence of the use of different methodologies.…”

“…In this sense, psychosocial studies are important to assess the acceptance of potential future therapeutic options such as xenotransplantation. However, those of us who carry out population psychosocial studies know of the two major problems that these studies entail. On the one hand, there is the low quality of the majority of published studies (selection bias, insufficient samples, low study completion rates, etc), and on the other hand, there is heterogeneity between studies regarding different measurement tools and methodology, which complicates any comparison of data.…”

Attitudes to Clinical Pig Kidney Xenotransplantation among Medical Providers and Patients

“…Potential ethical considerations for society include religious objections specific to porcine tissues, animal rights, and individual fears of XTx violating the very idea of "personhood" (8). However, there is a lack of studies that capture the perceptions of the other major stakeholders regarding the issue of transplant organ supply from the health care providers themselves (9). The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs to XTx between different stakeholders in the renal community, who will ultimately be involved in the clinical uptake and/or care of individuals who receive a xenograft.…”