Liver resection for hepatic metastases: 15 years of experience.
OBJECTIVE
Liver metastases, especially those from primary colorectal cancers, are treatable and potentially curable. Imaging techniques such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and ultrasonography have advanced in recent years and led to increased sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of liver metastases. Liver surgery also has been revolutionized in the past two decades. Dissection along nonanatomical lines has permitted the resection of multiple lesions that previously might have been considered unresectable.


METHODS
From 1986 to 2000, 181 patients underwent liver resection for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer. Of these, 56 patients underwent systematic anatomical major hepatic resection and 125 underwent nonanatomical limited resection.


RESULTS
Operative morbidity and mortality rates were higher in patients in whom anatomical procedures were performed. The overall 5-year survival rate of the 181 patients was 39.8%.


CONCLUSIONS
An aggressive surgical procedure in patients with hepatic colorectal metastases is safe, and may prolong overall survival, and therefore should be considered in all patients with metastases confined to the liver.
Belli
Giulio
G
Department of General and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, S. Maria di Loreto nuovo Hospital, Naples, Italy.
D'Agostino
Alberto
A
Ciciliano
Fabio
F
Fantini
Corrado
C
Russolillo
Nadia
N
Belli
Andrea
A
D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate