Surgical treatment for metastatic malignancies. Anatomical resection of liver metastasis: indications and outcomes

Abstract

Hepatectomy may be the only treatment modality for the cure of colorectal liver metastasis. However, whether to perform nonanatomical resection or anatomical resection remains unclear. Original articles in English on liver metastasis, including reports that dealt with case series of more than 50 curative hepatectomies, were reviewed, and the current status of surgical treatment for colorectal liver metastasis was summarized, with a special emphasis on the relevance, indications, and outcomes of anatomical hepatectomy. Anatomical hepatic resection was performed in 63% of the patients. For patients who were treated by curative hepatectomy, including both anatomical and nonanatomical resection, the morbidity rates, mortality rates, 5-year survival rates, and rates of hepatic recurrence were 23%, 3.3%, 34%, and 41.2%, respectively. In 73 articles that each analyzed more than 50 patients treated with potentially curative hepatectomy, the incidence of anatomical resection exceeded 50% in 56 series, while anatomical resection was performed in fewer than 50% of the patients in 17 series. A comparison between these two groups naturally revealed a remarkable difference in the incidence of anatomical resection (72% versus 34%), but no difference in terms of morbidity; mortality; survival rates at 3, 5, and 10 years; or rate of hepatic recurrence. The profile of liver metastasis related to prognosis was generally advantageous to patients treated with nonanatomical resection, and this may have nullified the survival advantage of anatomical hepatectomy over nonanatomical resection. Anatomical resection provides a higher probability of coresecting microscopic invasions that are predictable but undetectable, and can be recommended as a standard procedure for locally advanced metastatic liver cancer.