Doctors perform first liver transplant in Michigan for colon cancer

When Andrew Sweeney regained consciousness after his liver transplant in 2024, he immediately asked: "Did we win?"

He was talking about the Michigan Wolverines football team, who had, in fact, won their first undisputed National Championship in 75 years.

Sweeney had given up his tickets to the game, in Houston, Texas.

Yet, at the University of Michigan Health, Sweeney was part of something historic—something no one had ever done in the entire history of the state: he was the first patient to receive a liver transplant as part of the treatment for colon cancer.

Andrew Sweeney, now 35, was aware of his risk for colorectal cancer—his mother had had been diagnosed with it when she was 41.

He was scheduled to get screened in September 2022, but he didn’t make it to that appointment.

A week earlier, he went to the Emergency Department at University of Michigan Health’s University Hospital with abdominal pain.

Sweeney had been struggling with pain for a few months and changing his diet didn’t seem to help.

Once he reached the ED, Sweeney was concerned that the doctors would assume his pain was due to constipation.

Given his family history, he asked the doctors if he could undergo a CT scan.

The scan revealed that Sweeney had a mass in his colon and potential metastases in his liver and lymph nodes.

“I remember reading the results of the scan on my phone and dropping it in my lap,” Sweeney said.

“Even though I always knew this was a potential problem, I was in disbelief.”

A colonoscopy confirmed that he had stage 4 colorectal cancer.

Understanding the growing risk of colorectal cancer in young adults

According to the latest report by the American Cancer Society, one in five people diagnosed with colorectal cancer are now under the age of 55.

In the United States, screening for colorectal cancer is recommended to begin at age 45 for most people.

Patients with a genetic risk or family history often begin screening earlier.

“Approximately 20% of colorectal cancer patients present with stage 4 disease at diagnosis and an additional 20% will develop recurrent disease,” said John Krauss, M.D., Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine-Hematology/Oncology, who guided Sweeney through his treatment.

Since the mass was obstructing Sweeney’s colon, his surgical team removed the tumor through a sigmoid colectomy.

After the surgery in October 2022, he underwent chemotherapy to treat metastatic tumors in his liver.

“I agreed with my care team that I wanted to treat the cancer as aggressively as possible,” Sweeney said.

“I was young and healthy, and I knew that my team would not give up.”

First liver transplant for colon cancer in the state of Michigan

Sweeney underwent chemotherapy for one and a half years and the tumors in his liver continued to shrink.

His care team began discussing how they could remove the damaged parts of Sweeney’s liver.

Due to the location of the tumors, they decided that a liver transplant would be the best option.

This was an unconventional choice because it was unclear how much a transplant could help a patient with cancer.

“There was emerging evidence that a liver transplant could increase survival in patients with colon cancer who had isolated liver metastases, especially in younger patients,” said Neehar Parikh, M.D., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

“We developed a colorectal cancer liver transplant protocol based on that evidence.”

The initial challenge with finding a donor was that Sweeney’s liver was functioning normally, even with the tumors.

His model for end-stage liver disease, or MELD score, was low and placed him lower on the priority list for a transplant.

In December 2023, Sweeney had to be readmitted into the ED and his tests revealed that his liver was beginning to decline in function due to his repeated treatments for his metastatic colon cancer.

His transplant team resubmitted his new MELD scores, which placed him higher on the transplant list.

After screening several living donors, Sweeney’s team did not find anyone who was compatible.

Fortunately, the University of Michigan adult liver transplant program had a track record of securing deceased donor transplants for patients on the waiting list, with a transplant rate that is 2-3 times higher than the national average.

This high transplant rate is facilitated in part using new machine perfusion technology that allows transplant surgeons to improve the preservation and test the viability of deceased donor organs prior to transplant.

Sweeney received a liver transplant that was preserved with machine perfusion.

“I remember waiting in anticipation, and several times a potential donor liver didn’t work out,” Sweeney said.

“When we finally got the call, I couldn’t believe it was real.”

He received a successful liver transplant in January 2024, and the surgery was performed by Christopher Sonnenday, M.D., Transplant Center Director for U-M Health.

The surgery was on the same day that Michigan’s football team played for the National Championship, a game that Sweeney had tickets to.

As he woke up in the intensive care unit, one of his first concerns was whether Michigan had won the game.

“I knew that whether the team won or not, I was winning that day,” he said.

“Luckily enough, they did win.”

Sweeney was discharged within a week and made a quick recovery.

Although he had minor recurrences of tumors in his lung in November 2024, surgery and radiation helped cure him.

Since spring 2025, his scans have been clear.

The importance of patient advocacy and a supportive community

Sweeney’s experience with his mother’s journey taught him to listen to his instincts, which pushed him to ask for the initial CT scan.

“I was in a situation where I was doing the right things and trying to get screened as early as I could,” Sweeney said.

“But once I started to feel something, I tried to take steps to address it.”

Before Sweeney was first diagnosed, he was considering having a third child with his wife.

When he got the news, he decided to remain positive and treat the tumors as aggressively as possible.

He credits his wife and U-M Health team for helping him throughout his treatment journey.

“I didn’t always lean on my people, and this experience taught me that when people want to help you, you should let them do it,” he said.

Sweeney now focuses on his health and spending time with his family.

He and his wife is expecting their third child, and the family enjoys going on camping trips and visiting theme parks.

Listen to Andrew Sweeney's story: https://www.michiganmedicine.org/cancer-aware/cutting-edge-treatment-advanced-colon-cancer. 

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