This is a question coming from complete layman. In fact, I'm ashamed to ask such a stupid question. But I'm still curious:
> Is said that you can remove 2/3 of the liver and the remain cells will regenerate a complete liver in only 2 weeks.
Does this mean it's possible for one to donate liver (say, half a liver) and live like nothing happened (except a scar)? Then why don't everyone donate their liver like this? Why are there only 4000 livers in the US?
You can donate part of the liver, but it isn't "like nothing ever happened". This followup[1] of donors from 2011 found that 53% suffered long-term complications (though 93% would have gone through with it again). Notably missing from those stats is the percentage of donors who died after donation, either due to direct effects, indirect effects, or totally unrelated things.
Donating one of your two kidneys is maybe a "like nothing happened" experience, but donating a partial liver is much more complicated with worse outcomes.
> it's possible for one to donate liver (say, half a liver) and live like nothing happened (except a scar)
There is a risk to manage, but is possible, yes. (Liver regenerates itself, so maybe even without leaving a scar. I'm unsure about that).
> Why only 4000 livers...
Probably a bottleneck and main factor is the money and finding somebody with experience that would want to do it. Is not a trivial procedure and there is also a risk for surgeons to be sued if things go down.
The technique is relatively new, starting at 1989 with Alyssa Riggan, a toddler girl 21 months old from Texas that is still alive and living a normal life currently. The donor was her 29yo mum. The technique has being adopted regularly since 2014 (if I'm not wrong). More than 4000 patients had received such treatment in USA since them. Ms. Riggan has a normal life now and does not even need her anti-rejection medecines anymore. The survival rate in adult patients at 3 years is > 95%, and 100% in children patients.
For the donor, will feel some pain (that can be alleviated with medication) and will feel very tired for the first month. Around half liver of the donor is taken. Most regeneration will happen in the first 2 weeks.
Having cancer, Mr. Mills would be elected [2] to receive the liver of a dead people instead a live donor, unless a relative or a friend would agree to donate him part of their liver.
[2] I'm not expert in your health system, Just guessing that he has a low score in the list.
> Is said that you can remove 2/3 of the liver and the remain cells will regenerate a complete liver in only 2 weeks.
Does this mean it's possible for one to donate liver (say, half a liver) and live like nothing happened (except a scar)? Then why don't everyone donate their liver like this? Why are there only 4000 livers in the US?