Abstract
Up to 25% of patients newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer present with synchronous metastatic disease. Patients who present with a, asymptomatic rectal primary and synchronous liver metastastases represent a particular complex subset of patients whose management is nuanced, but potentially curable. Appropriate management involves careful and accurate staging, and a multidisciplinary approach including the colorectal surgeon, medical oncologist and hepatobiliary surgeon. There are many factors which influence the optimal medical and surgical approaches in such cases including timing of neoadjuvant treatment as well as how to manage the surgical approach to tumor sites, whether that is synchronous or staged operations. In this chapter we aim to help provide some helpful guidance in making these decisions based on the most current data available.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Høydahl Ø, Edna TH, Xanthoulis A, Lydersen S, Endreseth BH. Long-term trends in colorectal cancer: incidence, localization, and presentation. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1):1077. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-020-07582-x.
Sinicrope FA. Increasing incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(16):1547–58. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2200869.
Loomans-Kropp HA, Umar A. Increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults. J Cancer Epidemiol. 2019;2019:9841295. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9841295.
De Vera MA, Gill S, Ashamalla S, et al. Early-age-onset colorectal cancer in canada: evidence, issues and calls to action. Curr Oncol. 2022;29(5):3149–59. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29050256.
Qiu M, Hu J, Yang D, Cosgrove DP, Xu R. Pattern of distant metastases in colorectal cancer: a SEER based study. Oncotarget. 2015;6(36):38658–66. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.6130.
Väyrynen V, Wirta EV, Seppälä T, et al. Incidence and management of patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous and metachronous colorectal metastases: a population-based study. BJS Open. 2020;4(4):685–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs5.50299.
You YN, Hardiman KM, Bafford A, et al. The American society of colon and rectal surgeons clinical practice guidelines for the management of rectal cancer. Dis Colon Rectum. 2020;63(9):1191–222. https://doi.org/10.1097/DCR.0000000000001762.
Faletti R, Gatti M, Arezzo A, et al. Preoperative staging of rectal cancer using magnetic resonance imaging: comparison with pathological staging. Minerva Chir. 2018;73(1):13–9. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0026-4733.17.07392-8.
Xie H, Zhou X, Zhuo Z, Che S, Xie L, Fu W. Effectiveness of MRI for the assessment of mesorectal fascia involvement in patients with rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dig Surg. 2014;31(2):123–34. https://doi.org/10.1159/000363075.
Choi DJ, Kwak JM, Kim J, Woo SU, Kim SH. Preoperative chest computerized tomography in patients with locally advanced mid or lower rectal cancer: its role in staging and impact on treatment strategy. J Surg Oncol. 2010;102(6):588–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.21651.
Adam R, de Gramont A, Figueras J, et al. Managing synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer: a multidisciplinary international consensus. Cancer Treat Rev. 2015;41(9):729–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.06.006.
Vera R, González-Flores E, Rubio C, et al. Multidisciplinary management of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer: a consensus of SEOM, AEC, SEOR, SERVEI, and SEMNIM. Clin Transl Oncol. 2020;22(5):647–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-019-02182-z.
Scharitzer M, Ba-Ssalamah A, Ringl H, et al. Preoperative evaluation of colorectal liver metastases: comparison between gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3.0-T MRI and contrast-enhanced MDCT with histopathological correlation. Eur Radiol. Aug 2013;23(8):2187–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-013-2824-z.
Van Cutsem E, Cervantes A, Adam R, et al. ESMO consensus guidelines for the management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Ann Oncol. 2016;27(8):1386–422. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdw235.
Maffione AM, Lopci E, Bluemel C, Giammarile F, Herrmann K, Rubello D. Diagnostic accuracy and impact on management of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT in colorectal liver metastasis: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2015;42(1):152–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-014-2930-4.
Pawlik TM, Choti MA. Surgical therapy for colorectal metastases to the liver. J Gastrointest Surg. 2007;11(8):1057–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-006-0061-3.
Chiorean EG, Nandakumar G, Fadelu T, et al. Treatment of Patients With Late-Stage Colorectal Cancer: ASCO Resource-Stratified Guideline. JCO Glob Oncol. 2020;6:414–38. https://doi.org/10.1200/JGO.19.00367.
Engstrand J, Kartalis N, Strömberg C, et al. The impact of a hepatobiliary multidisciplinary team assessment in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases: a population-based study. Oncologist. 2017;22(9):1067–74. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0028.
Lowes M, Kleiss M, Lueck R, et al. The utilization of multidisciplinary tumor boards (MDT) in clinical routine: results of a health care research study focusing on patients with metastasized colorectal cancer. Int J Color Dis. 2017;32(10):1463–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-017-2871-z.
Chen CH, Hsieh MC, Lao WT, Lin EK, Lu YJ, Wu SY. Multidisciplinary team intervention associated with improved survival for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with liver or lung metastasis. Am J Cancer Res. 2018;8(9):1887–98.
Schwarz RE, Berlin JD, Lenz HJ, Nordlinger B, Rubbia-Brandt L, Choti MA. Systemic cytotoxic and biological therapies of colorectal liver metastases: expert consensus statement. HPB (Oxford). 2013;15(2):106–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-2574.2012.00558.x.
Guo M, Jin N, Pawlik T, Cloyd JM. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases: A contemporary review of the literature. World J Gastrointest Oncol. 2021;13(9):1043–61. https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.v13.i9.1043.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines - Rectal Cancer. National Comprehensive Cancer Network; 2022.
Adam R, De Gramont A, Figueras J, et al. The oncosurgery approach to managing liver metastases from colorectal cancer: a multidisciplinary international consensus. Oncologist. 2012;17(10):1225–39. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2012-0121.
Takada T, Tsutsumi S, Takahashi R, et al. Control of primary lesions using resection or radiotherapy can improve the prognosis of metastatic colorectal cancer patients. J Surg Oncol. 2016;114(1):75–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/jso.24255.
Zhang CH, Pan YB, Zhang QW, et al. The influence of local therapy on the survival of patients with metastatic rectal cancer: a population-based, propensity-matched study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2017;143(9):1891–903. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-017-2442-2.
Butte JM, Gonen M, Ding P, et al. Patterns of failure in patients with early onset (synchronous) resectable liver metastases from rectal cancer. Cancer. 2012;118(21):5414–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.27567.
Martella A, Willett C, Palta M, Czito B. The selective use of radiation therapy in rectal cancer patients. Curr Oncol Rep. 2018;20(6):43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-018-0689-7.
Baltatzis M, Chan AK, Jegatheeswaran S, Mason JM, Siriwardena AK. Colorectal cancer with synchronous hepatic metastases: systematic review of reports comparing synchronous surgery with sequential bowel-first or liver-first approaches. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2016;42(2):159–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2015.11.002.
Conrad C, Vauthey JN, Masayuki O, et al. Individualized treatment sequencing selection contributes to optimized survival in patients with rectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2017;24(13):3857–64. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-017-6089-7.
Tzeng CW, Vauthey JN. Postoperative complications and oncologic outcomes after resection of colorectal liver metastases: the importance of staying on track. Ann Surg Oncol. 2013;20(8):2457–9. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-013-2974-x.
Chan AKC, Mason JM, Baltatzis M, Siriwardena AK, Collaborators C. Management of Colorectal Cancer with synchronous liver metastases: an inception cohort study (CoSMIC). Ann Surg Oncol. 2022;29(3):1939–51. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-021-11017-7.
Boudjema K, Locher C, Sabbagh C, et al. Simultaneous versus delayed resection for initially resectable synchronous colorectal cancer liver metastases: a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial. Ann Surg. 2021;273(1):49–56. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000003848.
Båverud Olsson L, Buchli C, Villard C, Nilsson PJ. Differences in management and outcome for colon and rectal carcinoma with synchronous liver metastases: a population-based cohort study. Color Dis. 2021;23(4):860–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/codi.15468.
Giuliante F, Viganò L, De Rose AM, et al. Liver-first approach for synchronous colorectal metastases: analysis of 7360 patients from the LiverMetSurvey registry. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021;28(13):8198–208. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-021-10220-w.
Esposito F, Lim C, Sa Cunha A, et al. Primary tumor versus liver-first approach for synchronous colorectal liver metastases: an association Française de Chirurgie (AFC) multicenter-based study with propensity score analysis. World J Surg. 2018;42(12):4046–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-018-4711-x.
Silberhumer GR, Paty PB, Denton B, et al. Long-term oncologic outcomes for simultaneous resection of synchronous metastatic liver and primary colorectal cancer. Surgery. 2016;160(1):67–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2016.02.029.
Valdimarsson VT, Syk I, Lindell G, et al. Outcomes of liver-first strategy and classical strategy for synchronous colorectal liver metastases in Sweden. HPB (Oxford). 2018;20(5):441–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpb.2017.11.004.
Waisberg J, Ivankovics IG. Liver-first approach of colorectal cancer with synchronous hepatic metastases: A reverse strategy. World J Hepatol. 2015;7(11):1444–9. https://doi.org/10.4254/wjh.v7.i11.1444.
Brouquet A, Mortenson MM, Vauthey JN, et al. Surgical strategies for synchronous colorectal liver metastases in 156 consecutive patients: classic, combined or reverse strategy? J Am Coll Surg. 2010;210(6):934–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2010.02.039.
Shubert CR, Habermann EB, Bergquist JR, et al. A NSQIP review of major morbidity and mortality of synchronous liver resection for colorectal metastasis stratified by extent of liver resection and type of colorectal resection. J Gastrointest Surg. 2015;19(11):1982–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-015-2895-z.
Bogach J, Wang J, Griffiths C, et al. Simultaneous versus staged resection for synchronous colorectal liver metastases: a population-based cohort study. Int J Surg. 2020;74:68–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2019.12.009.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Dr. M. Kenneth Lee, MD for his assistance and input into the creation of our surgical strategy pathway.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sharon, C.E., Bleier, J.I.S. (2023). Management of the Patient with Rectal Cancer Presenting with Synchronous Liver Metastases. In: Umanskiy, K., Hyman, N. (eds) Difficult Decisions in Colorectal Surgery. Difficult Decisions in Surgery: An Evidence-Based Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42303-1_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42303-1_25
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-42302-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-42303-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)