Improved Survival after Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases in Patients with Combined Liver, but Unresectab Lung Metastasis
Abstract
Modern systemic therapies considerably improve tumor control and thus open up the possibility of new surgical approaches in metastatic colorectal cancer. In this retrospective clinical cohort with a comparison group, we investigated whether liver resection in a combined liver-lung-metastasized stage is justified, even if the lung infestation is not resected.
From 283 patients who were treated in our institution between 01/2000 and 12/2014 for combined liver- and lung metastases, 35 patients had their pulmonary metastases left in situ while they were eligible for both treatment options: resection versus non-resection of resectable liver metastases. Effectively, 15 of these patients received whereas 20 did not receive a liver resection. In these patients, we compared overall survival and determined risk factors that are associated with poor survival, applying a Cox-Proportional Hazards model.
Patients whose liver metastases were resected showed significantly longer median survival compared to patients who did not undergo hepatic surgery (median 2.5 vs. 1.5. years, p = 0.0182). The Cox-Proportional Hazards model revealed hepatic metastasectomy to be the strongest determinant of patient survival (HR 5.27; CI: (1.89, 14.65)).
Our results suggest that surgical removal of liver metastases may be beneficial in selected patients even if concomitant lung metastases cannot be resected.