Current treatment of colorectal liver metastases.
BACKGROUND
The aim of our study is to present our experience in the treatment of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Between 1997 and 2003 a total of 12 patients with liver metastases from a primary colorectal cancer were treated in our department. They were 8 males and 4 females with a median age of 64 years (range 56-70 years).


RESULTS
Ten patients underwent liver resection. The surgical procedures were 4 major hepatectomies (3 right hepatectomies, 1 left lobectomy) and 9 wedge liver resections. In total, 16 metastatic lesions were resected. Already at the time of the primary tumour, 5 patients presented with a synchronous liver metastasis. In 3 of them, liver metastasis was resected together with the primary tumour, and in the rest, resection was performed 1 month after the initial operation. In 5 patients liver metastases were metachronous and were diagnosed 3-14 months after the initial operation. The median survival of the patients was 39 months. Two patients (one with 2 metastatic lesions) underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the metachronous metastatic lesions and remain well 3-6 months postoperatively.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatectomy is the treatment of choice for hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer, whenever feasible. Recent promising treatments such as RFA can further improve the outcome of these patients.
Tsalis
K
K
4th Surgical Department, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. ctsalis@med.auth.gr
Vasiliadis
K
K
Christoforidis
E
E
Vergos
O
O
Angelopoulos
S
S
Botsios
D
D
Betsis
D
D
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome