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Surgical Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases in Patients with Expanded Indications: A Single-Center Experience with 501 Patients

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Diseases of the Colon & Rectum

Purpose

This study was designed to investigate survival after curative resection of colorectal liver metastases in patients with expanded indications.

Methods

A total of 501 patients had 545 liver resections for metastatic colorectal cancer. There were no predefined criteria for resectability with regard to the number or size of the tumors, locoregional invasion, or extrahepatic disease, except that resection had potential to be complete and macroscopically curative. All patients who had curative hepatic resection were advised to start postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

A total of 259 patients had expanded indications (52 percent), including 14 with liver metastases >10 cm, 194 with bilateral deposits, 140 with four or more liver metastases, and 73 with extrahepatic disease. The overall actuarial survival rates at one, three, five, and ten years were 88, 67, 45, and 36 percent, respectively, for patients with classic indications and 84, 53, 34, and 24 percent, respectively, for patients with expanded indications (P = 0.0009). In the group of expanded indications, there were more patients who received preoperative than postoperative chemotherapy: 72 (28 percent) vs. 18 (7 percent; P < 0.0001), and 148 (70 percent) vs. 131 (61 percent; P = 0.0466). In a multivariate analysis, four or more liver metastases and extrahepatic disease were independent predictors of poor outcome. Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved survival (P = 0.0002).

Conclusions

This study suggested that liver resection should be indicated in patients with expanded indications. The extent of the benefits of preoperative and postoperative chemotherapy needs to be quantitated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Bibiana Prat for help in the statistical analysis and the Language Advisory Service at the University of Barcelona for assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain

    Juan Figueras M.D., Jaume Torras M.D., Laura Llado M.D., Emilio Ramos M.D., Joan Marti-Ragué M.D. & Juan Fabregat M.D.

  2. Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain

    Carlos Valls M.D.

  3. Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain

    Teresa Serrano M.D.

  4. Servicio de Cirugía General y Digestiva, IdIBGi, Hospital de Girona Josep Trueta, C/França s/n., Girona, E-17007, Spain

    Juan Figueras M.D.

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  1. Juan Figueras M.D.
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Correspondence to Juan Figueras M.D..

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Figueras, J., Torras, J., Valls, C. et al. Surgical Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases in Patients with Expanded Indications: A Single-Center Experience with 501 Patients. Dis Colon Rectum 50, 478–488 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-006-0817-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-006-0817-6

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