A team at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health became the first in the state to perform a liver transplant for the treatment of colon cancer.
The procedure took place in January 2024 and was led by Christopher Sonnenday, MD, transplant center director at U-M Health, according to a March 16 news release from the health system.
The patient was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2022 at 31 years old. After the liver transplant — made possible through machine perfusion — the patient experienced a minor recurrence of lung tumors in November 2024, which was successfully treated with surgery and radiation.
The patient’s scans have been clear since spring 2025, the release said.
