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Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Prior to Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases

  • Adjuvant Therapy for Colon Cancers (AB Benson and A de Gramont, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Colorectal Cancer Reports

Abstract

Surgery is the reference treatment of resectable colorectal liver metastases (CLM) as it is associated with 5-year survival rate as high as 50 % in selected patients. Unfortunately, most patients have too advanced metastatic disease to undergo liver resection with curative intent and are therefore treated by systemic chemotherapy. In patients undergoing resection of CLM, disease recurrence can occur in up to 70 % and consequently, adjuvant treatment to surgery have been tested to improve oncologic outcome. In patients with unresectable CLM, chemotherapy is initially the sole treatment option. The considerable improvement of the efficacy of anticancer agents has contributed to increase the response rate in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. In case of major response to chemotherapy, surgery with curative intent can be offered to patients with initially unresectable liver metastases.

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Disclosure

A. Brouquet: none; B. Nordlinger: speakers’ bureaus (Merck, Roche, Amgen).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AP-HP, Hôpital Bicêtre, Department Digestive and Oncologic Surgery, Université Paris Sud, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France

    Antoine Brouquet

  2. Service de Chirurgie Digestive, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, 9 avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, Boulogne, Cedex, 92104, France

    Bernard Nordlinger

  3. Université Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France

    Bernard Nordlinger

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Correspondence to Bernard Nordlinger.

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Brouquet, A., Nordlinger, B. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Prior to Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 8, 210–216 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-012-0135-4

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