Comment on: Robertson (2010) Islet Transplantation a Decade Later and Strategies for Filling a Half-Full Glass. Diabetes;59:1285–1291

In his Perspectives in Diabetes (1), Robertson asked whether islet transplantation achievements should be considered a partial failure or a partial success. This question, which would sound naive for bone marrow, skin, or organ transplantation, is actually more than germane for islet transplantation. So far, no study has formally compared the outcomes of patients with type 1 diabetes receiving islet transplantation or continued medical therapy; hence, whether this expansive procedure is actually more effective than insulin treatment in preventing diabetic complications, improving health quality, or reducing morbidity or mortality is still a matter of debate (2). In other words, whether achieving transient insulin independence with islet transplantation justifies …