title: Resection of single metachronous liver metastases from breast cancer stage I-II yield excellent overall and disease-free survival. Single center experience and review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Improved survival after liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases (BCLM) has been proven; however, there is still controversy on predictive factors influencing outcomes. The analysis of factors related to primary and metastatic cancer eventually influencing long-term outcomes and a review of the literature are presented in this report.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients diagnosed with metachronous BCLM between 1996 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had a minimum disease-free interval between primary tumor and liver metastasis of 12 months, no more than 3 liver lesions, no macroscopic extra-hepatic disease and in which systemic therapy showed a good response were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two patients (82%) were initially diagnosed with a stage I-II disease. Twelve patients presented with multiple liver metastases. The 5 years overall survival (OS) rate was 78%, while the 5 years disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 36%. Initial tumor stage III-IV at first diagnosis and number of metastases >1 was significantly associated with a shorter DFS at multivariate analysis (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04 respectively). Patients with multiple lesions had a median DFS of 15 months compared to 47 months in patients with a single lesion (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Resection of single BCLM from primary stage I-II cancer offers very good long-term survival rates and a low morbidity.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ghent University Hospital and Medical School, Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Céline
authors: C
authors: Vertriest
authors: Giammauro
authors: G
authors: Berardi
authors: Federico
authors: F
authors: Tomassini
authors: Rudy
authors: R
authors: Vanden Broucke
authors: Herman
authors: H
authors: Depypere
authors: Véronique
authors: V
authors: Cocquyt
authors: Hannelore
authors: H
authors: Denys
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Van Belle
authors: Roberto I
authors: RI
authors: Troisi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis