Effectiveness of prehepatectomy intra-arterial chemotherapy for multiple bilobar colorectal cancer metastases to the liver: a clinicopathologic study of peritumoral vasculobiliary invasion.
BACKGROUND
Consensus remains to be achieved concerning prehepatectomy neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a treatment strategy for multiple bilobar colorectal liver metastases, in part because the effect of prehepatectomy neoadjuvant chemotherapy has not been determined pathologically. We investigated the efficacy of prehepatectomy intra-arterial chemotherapy for multiple bilobar colorectal cancer metastases to the liver.


METHODS
Clinicopathologic data for 37 consecutive patients with > or =5 bilobar liver metastases from colorectal cancer who underwent hepatectomy were analyzed retrospectively with respect to long-term outcome and histological findings in resected liver tumors.


RESULTS
In the 15 patients receiving neodadjuvant chemotherapy (NEO+ group), liver metastases progressed in 2 patients, remained stable in 8 patients, responded more than 50% in 4 patients, and responded completely in 1 patient (combined response rate, 33.3%). Overall and hepatic recurrence-free survival tended to be higher in responders than in nonresponders ( P = .053). Microscopic invasion of the portal vein, hepatic vein, and bile ducts near liver tumors was less frequent according to use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and responsiveness to the therapy (responders, 20.0%; patients not receiving neoadjuvant therapy [NEO-], 72.7%; P < .05). Such microscopic invasion independently predicted hepatic recurrence by multivariate analysis ( P = .011).


CONCLUSIONS
A neoadjuvant chemotherapy-associated decrease in microscopic vasculobiliary invasion by metastatic liver tumors was related to clinical response and favorable outcome.
Tanaka
Kuniya
K
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. ktrj112@urahp.yokohama-cu.ac.jp
Shimada
Hiroshi
H
Kubota
Kaori
K
Ueda
Michio
M
Endo
Itaru
I
Sekido
Hitoshi
H
Togo
Shinji
S
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012189:Retrospective Studies