Clinical effectiveness of preoperative portal vein embolization in the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases:a meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical effectiveness of preoperative portal vein embolization(PVE) in the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases(CRLM). Methods All eligible casecontrol studies comparing the clinical effectiveness of preoperative PVE or without PVE before hepatectomy were searched out from Pub Med, EMBASE and CBM database.Data on the rate of postoperative complications, liver failure and mortality and the 5-year overall survival rate were metaanalyzed. Results A total of 8 studies comprising 676 patients were included, including 253 patients in the PVE group and 423 patients in the no PVE group.The rate of postoperative complications was higher in the PVE group than in the no PVE group, and there were no significant differences in the rate of postoperative liver failure and mortality and the 5-year overall survival rate between the two groups. Conclusion Patients with unresectable liver metastases because of insufficient future liver remnant and high risk of surgery could get a chance of relative safe resection, and the long-term results were comparable to the patients with initially resectable liver metastases which didn't need PVE. Key words: Colorectal liver metastases; Portal vein embolization; Future liver remnant; Hepatectomy; Prognosis