CLINICAL STUDY OF HEPATIC RESECTION FOR LIVER METASTASES FROM GASTRIC AND COLORECTAL CANCERS

Abstract

Fourteen patients with metastatic liver cancers underwent hepatic resection during the 5-year period 1980-1985 at the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Gunma University, Tone Central Hospital and Gunma Cancer Center Hospital. Metastatic gastric cancers were present in four patients (three males and one female; average age, 66 years) and metastatic colorectal cancers in ten patients (eight males, two females; average age, 56 years). Distant liver metastases from gastric cancers were present in two patients but in the other two patients the primary gastric cancers invaded the liver directly. Five patients had primary cancer and synchronous liver metastases, and of these, four cases were metastasized from cancers of the right colon but one was from cancer of the left colon. Five patients had metachronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer, all of which were metastasized from cancer of the left colon. One year 4 months to 3 years 10 months was the period from primary operation to the resection of liver metastases. Serum CEA examination proved most useful in monitoring the patients, and ultrasonography, computed tom-mography and angiography were useful in evaluating the metastatic tumors. During the 5-year period 1975-1980 gastric cancers and colorectal cancers with liver metastases numbered 35 cases (15% of 231 cases) and 12 cases (10% of 116 cases), respectively, and of these patients only one lived for more than an additional 16 months (26 months). In each group there were three cases that might have had the metastatic concers resected. If we had tried resection, the period of survival could have been prolonged. We concluded that excision or resection of metastatic lesions could be justified on the basis of low operative risk, prolonged survival and good quality of life.