Quick answer
Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for end-stage kidney disease on every axis that matters — survival, quality of life and cost per patient-year compared with dialysis. China performs more than 250,000 kidney transplants in total since 1960, concentrated in a small number of centres. The kidney centre at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University began its programme in 1977 and reached 9,441 cumulative transplants by December 2025 — the largest single-centre total in the country, with 88.6% five-year graft survival and 92.7% patient survival [1][2][5].
Key takeaways
- Cumulative total 9,441 by December 2025, including 2,971 living-donor transplants [1][3][4].
- First Chinese single centre to pass 9,000, on 17 January 2025 [6].
- Five-year graft survival 88.6%; five-year patient survival 92.7% [1].
- Ten-year graft survival above 75%, twenty-year approaching 50% [6].
- Also 237 ABO-incompatible transplants and 618 robotic laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomies [3].
Why volume is not the story by itself
Any large centre can accumulate cases. What the numbers show is a specific pattern: living donation at about a third of the total, ABO-incompatible transplantation offered as a routine option, and minimally invasive donor surgery — all of which widen the pool of patients who can be transplanted rather than simply serving the ones who can wait [3][5].
The survival figures are the more meaningful comparison. Reported ten-year graft survival above 75% and twenty-year approaching 50% place the centre ahead of US registry averages — a difference that reflects donor selection, organ preservation, immunosuppression management and, critically, adherence support over decades [6].
What a single-centre series cannot establish
These are programme statistics, not a clinical trial, and they should be read as such [1][6].
Outcomes improve over time as immunosuppression, imaging and infection control improve; a cumulative figure spanning 1977 to 2025 mixes five decades of practice, so recent results are certainly better than the average. Centres with favourable case mix and strong socio-economic support report better survival for reasons that are not purely clinical. And because there is no randomised comparator, the claim is that this programme achieves good results — not that its protocol is superior to another centre's [6][2].
The condition in context: end-stage kidney disease
Dialysis keeps patients alive; transplantation restores function, and the gap between them is large.
| Region | What the data shows | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National volume | More than 250,000 kidney transplants in China since the first in 1960 [6]. | CCSN 2025 report [6] |
| Programme origin | Animal experiments from 1957, first clinical transplant 1977 [6]. | CCSN 2025 report [6] |
| Economics | Transplant has the lowest per-patient cost of the three modalities [6]. | CCSN 2025 report [6] |
Because the binding constraint nationally is organ supply rather than surgical capacity, donor programmes matter more than another operating theatre [5].
Why it matters
| Potential | What the report suggests | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Living donation and incompatible transplant widen eligibility [3]. | [3] |
| Donor safety | Robotic donor nephrectomy reduces donor morbidity [3]. | [3] |
| Caution | Cumulative averages span five decades [6]. | [6] |
Availability and limits
- This is an editorial summary of hospital and registry reporting, not a treatment offer [1][2].
- Organ allocation follows national and provincial rules [6].
- Foreign patients face additional legal and logistical constraints on transplantation in China [5].
- Long-term immunosuppression and follow-up are lifelong [3].
- Cumulative survival figures are historical averages [6].
What to ask before booking
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Am I eligible for a living-donor transplant? | It shortens waiting and usually improves outcomes [3]. |
| What are the rules for non-resident patients? | They differ from those for citizens and must be checked first [5]. |
| Which department handles foreign patients, and in what language? | The hospital is a working hospital we do not book; confirm international-department coordination and language support. |
| What is the plan for immunosuppression monitoring after I return home? | Adherence support drives long-term graft survival [6]. |
Questions patients ask
How many transplants has the centre done?
9,441 cumulative kidney transplants by December 2025, the largest single-centre total in China [1].
What are the outcomes?
Five-year graft survival 88.6% and patient survival 92.7%; ten-year graft survival above 75% [1][6].
What makes the programme distinctive?
A large living-donor programme, routine ABO-incompatible transplantation and robotic donor nephrectomy [3].
Can international patients access it?
Transplantation in China is governed by national allocation rules that restrict non-resident access; this must be checked directly with the hospital [5].
Is this relevant to international patients?
It is useful context for China's transplant capacity. The hospital is a working hospital we do not book — contact its international department directly [1].