Disputes about surgical treatment of colorectal liver metastasis

Abstract

As the most common metastasis in colorectal cancer, liver metastasis is the primary cause of treatment failure. Resection plays a dominant role in multidisciplinary treatment of colorectal liver metastases. However, this surgical field is still filled with disputes and challenges. Literature on liver metastasis of colorectal cancer were reviewed and clinical trials were collected. Different opinions were analyzed according to clinical evidence and personal experience. There are many disputes about surgical treatment of colorectal liver metastases, including incomplete staging system, inconsistent criteria of potential resectability, neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable liver metastases, adjuvant chemotherapy regimen after radical resection, and treatment of asymptomatic primary lesion in patients with unresectable liver metastasis.