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.