Predicting early recurrence after resection of initially unresectable colorectal liver metastases: the role of baseline and pre-surgery clinical, radiological and molecular factors in a real-life multicentre experience

BACKGROUND

Advances in surgical techniques and systemic treatments have increased the likelihood of achieving radical surgery and long-term survival in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with initially unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs). Nonetheless, roughly half of the patients resected after an upfront systemic therapy experience disease relapse within 6 months from surgery, thus leading to the question whether surgery is actually beneficial for these patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A real-world dataset of mCRC patients with initially unresectable liver-limited disease treated with conversion chemotherapy followed by radical resection of CRLMs at three high-volume Italian institutions was retrospectively assessed with the aim of investigating the association of baseline and pre-surgical clinical, radiological and molecular factors with the risk of relapse within 6 or 12 months from surgery.

RESULTS

Overall, 268 patients were included in the analysis and 207 (77%) experienced recurrence. Ninety-six (46%) of them had disease relapse within 6 months after CRLM resection and in spite of several variables associated with early recurrence at univariate analyses, only primary tumour resection at diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.89, P = 0.02] remained significant in the multivariable model. Among patients with resected primary tumours, pN+ stage was associated with higher risk of disease relapse within 6 months (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.23-7.41, P = 0.02). One hundred and forty-nine patients (72%) had disease relapse within 12 months after CRLMs resection but none of the analysed variables was independently associated with outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical, radiological and molecular factors assessed before and after conversion chemotherapy do not reliably predict early recurrence after secondary resection of initially unresectable CRLMs. While novel markers are needed to optimize the cost/efficacy balance of surgical procedures, CRLM resection should be offered as soon as metastases become resectable during first-line chemotherapy to all patients eligible for surgery.

Alcohol abuse and de novo tumors in liver transplantation

INTRODUCTION

Organ transplant recipients show an increased incidence of cancer ranging from 4% to 16% owing to several causes: immunosuppression, viral infection, individual predisposition, and so on.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 43/683 (6.3%) recipients of 734 liver transplants performed from November 1991 to November 2008 who experienced a de novo neoplasm.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol abuse significantly increased the rate of all de novo neoplasms and particularly pharyngogastroesophageal cancers among population of liver transplant recipients. Minimization of immunosuppressive therapy is necessary to reduce the risk of a de novo neoplasm. Strict posttransplant follow-up is required to identify early gastroenteric tumors.

Progression of hepatocellular carcinoma before liver transplantation: dropout or liver transplantation?

BACKGROUND

Tumor progression before liver transplantation (OLT) is the main cause of dropout from the waiting list (WL) of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to show a correlation between adopted dropout criteria and dropout/intention-to-treat survival rates of WL HCC patients.

METHODS

The study period was 2000 to 2007. The dropout criteria were macroscopic vascular invasion, metastases, or a poorly differentiated tumor. Adult patients with benign chronic liver disease enlisted for primary OLT in the same period represented the control group.

RESULTS

Dropout probability of study (n = 128) versus control group (n = 377) subjects was similar: namely, 12% at 1 year in both groups (P = NS). Intention-to-treat survival curve of the HCC group overlapped that of the benign group (5-year survival rates were 73% and 71%, respectively; P = NS). At the time of listing, 103 study group patients were within the Milan criteria (MC): among these patients, 29 (28%) showed tumor progression beyond MC before OLT. Simulating the dropout of these 29 patients at the time of diagnosis of tumor progression, we compared the dropout probability of the 103 patients within MC with that of the control group. As a result, the 1- and 2-year dropout rates became 37% and 53%, respectively, in the study group, which were significantly higher than those in the controls (P < .01).

CONCLUSION

HCC patients on the WL showed a significantly greater dropout rate than subjects with benign cirrhosis when too restrictive radiologic dropout criteria were used. The adoption of criteria more related to biological aggressiveness of a tumor decreased the dropout risk for HCC patients without impairing their intention-to-treat survival rates.

Liver autotransplantation for the treatment of unresectable hepatic metastasis: an uncommon indication-a case report

Ex situ ex vivo liver surgery represents a method to expand the surgical indications to treat otherwise unresectable liver tumors. We report the case of a 38-year old woman with hepatic metastasis from a pancreatoblastoma that was judged to be unresectable due to the involvement of the three hepatic veins. To treat the primary tumor, she underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and thermal ablation of a liver metastasis. After appropriate preoperative study and with the permission of the ethics committee, she underwent ex situ ex vivo liver resection. The hepatectomy was performed by removing the whole liver en bloc with the retrohepatic vena cava. The inferior vena cava was reconstructed by interposition of a prosthetic graft. The ex situ ex vivo hepatic resection, a left hepatic lobectomy included the lesion in segments 1-5-7-8. The two hepatic veins were reconstructed using patches of saphenous vein. The organ was preserved continuously for 6 hours using hypothermic perfusion with 4°C Celsior solution. The liver was then reimplanted performing an anastomosis between the reconstructed hepatic veins and the caval prostheses. The patient was discharged at postoperative day 22 and is currently disease-free at 8 months after surgery and 44 months after the initial diagnosis. Ex situ, ex vivo liver surgery offers an additional option for patients with both primary and secondary liver tumors considered to be unresectable using traditional surgical approaches.

Neoadjuvant therapy protocol and liver transplantation in combination with pancreatoduodenectomy for the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma occurring in a case of primary sclerosing cholangitis: case report with a more than 8-year disease-free survival

Cholangiocarcinoma has historically represented a major contraindication to liver transplantation at many centers because of its high recurrence rate and low disease-free survival rate, even after radical surgery. Novel neoadjuvant therapy protocols combined with demolitive surgery and liver transplantation seem to achieve successful results in terms of overall and disease-free survivals. Surgery frequently seems to be unsatisfactory only for patients also suffering from chronic cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease. We have reported a case of hilar cholangiocarcinoma occurring in a case of primary sclerosing cholangitis treated with neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and endoscopic brachytherapy, followed by liver transplantation combined with pancreatoduodenectomy, who has survived free of disease for >8 years.

Neoadjuvant therapy protocol and liver transplantation in combination with pancreatoduodenectomy for the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma occurring in a case of primary sclerosing cholangitis: case report with a more than 8-year disease-free survival

Cholangiocarcinoma has historically represented a major contraindication to liver transplantation at many centers because of its high recurrence rate and low disease-free survival rate, even after radical surgery. Novel neoadjuvant therapy protocols combined with demolitive surgery and liver transplantation seem to achieve successful results in terms of overall and disease-free survivals. Surgery frequently seems to be unsatisfactory only for patients also suffering from chronic cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease. We have reported a case of hilar cholangiocarcinoma occurring in a case of primary sclerosing cholangitis treated with neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and endoscopic brachytherapy, followed by liver transplantation combined with pancreatoduodenectomy, who has survived free of disease for >8 years.