Transplantation is slowly becoming an accepted means of saving lives in most parts of the world. A transplant registry was started in Asia in 1989 to keep track of the numbers of centres performing transplants, numbers of patients on waiting lists, numbers of patients going abroad for transplants, the specific organ types undergoing transplant, and ethical and social issues associated with transplantation. Most types of cancer show a modest increase in frequency in patients after transplantation but there is a marked increase in the frequency of lymphomas, cervical cancer, squamous cell cancers and Kaposi sarcomas, all tumours with a putative viral aetiology. Ischemic heart disease is the major cause of death in patients with long-term functioning transplants. Hyperlipidemia and hypertension, two major risk factors associated with ischemic heart disease, are common in transplant patients and are probably related to the immunosuppressive drug therapy.