Apr 2, 2021
Increased overall survival compared with portal vein embolization, liver resection
In a highly select group of patients with colorectal cancer and nonresectable liver metastases, high liver tumor load, and left-sided primary tumors, liver transplant brought about significantly higher overall survival (OS) rates compared with portal vein embolization (PVE) and liver resection. Thus, liver transplant may be a viable treatment option in future prospective studies of select patients with colorectal liver metastasis, researchers reported.
Although liver resection is the standard of care in patients with colorectal cancer and liver metastasis, few patients qualify as candidates, according to researchers led by Svein Dueland, MD, PhD, of Oslo University Hospital, Norway, who had previously demonstrated significant differences in OS after liver transplant in patients with primary tumors located in the ascending colon compared with those with primary tumors in the rest of the colon or rectum (left-sided tumors). They published their findings in