Current therapeutic options for liver metastasis

Abstract

The liver is a common site of hematogenous metastasis, especially from gastrointestinal malignancies. Liver metastasis are generally classified as stage IV disease. Previously treatment in such patients was met with great skeptiscism. However, advances in surgical and medical therapies during the last two decades have provided effective therapeutic options for selected patients. Since major hepatic resections are now performed with acceptable morbidity and a mortality rate <3%, colorectal cancer metastasis to the liver are associated with 5-year survival rates of 30% or more. Meanwhile, a variety of new therapies have been developed, including hepatic artery infusion of chemotherapy; alcoholic, crio and radiofrequency ablation and novel strategies of systemic chemotherapy with the development of molecular targeted new products. These new therapeutic armamentarium have been used mostly in liver metastasis from colorectal cancer patients. However, liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumors and selected cases of non colorectal cancer liver metastasis are benefited from the same strategies. This report summarizes the different therapeutic tools, their advantages and results mainly on colorectal cancer liver metastasis. These results are expected to improve even further with multimodality approaches.