[Combined multimodal treatment for liver and lung metastasis from colorectal cancer: a new therapeutic option?]. / Il trattamento multimodale combinato delle metastasi epatiche e polmonari da cancro colorettale: una nuova opzione terapeutica?

The authors analyse which therapeutic strategy to adopt on the basis of prognostic factors and staging of hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer. They underline the effectiveness of combined multimodal therapy in the treatment of very advanced metastatic stages. 218 patients with metastases from colorectal cancer (12 pulmonary and 206 hepatic metastases) were treated from January 1980 to October 2000. Among these patients, 159 underwent surgery (4 pulmonary and 155 hepatic resections), 16 were reoperated on for metastatic relapse, 14 with multiple metastases underwent locoregional therapy and 29, deemed unresectable initially, were treated with neoadjuvant chemo- and radiotherapy. In the operated patient group the 5-year actuarial survival rate was 22% with an operative mortality of 3.8% and a morbidity of 17.5%. The 16 patients reoperated on for metastatic relapse had a 5-year actuarial survival of 21% with an operative mortality of 6.2% and a morbidity of 15.8%. The 14 patients treated with locoregional therapy had a median survival of 6 months whereas the 29 patients treated in two different periods with combined multimodal treatment had a response rate of 59.2%. Five patients had a complete response and 4 are currently disease-free. Surgical resection is at present the best known treatment for metastatic disease. In very advanced, as yet undisseminated stages, in which there is no surgical indication for metastases a neoadjuvant treatment is proposed if the primary tumour has already been completely resected. The aim of this therapeutic strategy, called combined multimodal therapy, is to obtain the disease regression with the aid of systemic chemo- and radiotherapy and to offer a chance of re-staging the disease.

Repeated hepatic resections for recurrent metastasis of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Few cases of repeated hepatic resection for recurrent metastasis have been in literature. This paper focuses on metastatic recurrences and their surgical treatment, comparing the outcome of resective therapy with the natural history of metastases. Results of alternative methods (alcoholization and trans-arterial chemo-embolization), are evaluated through the analysis of indications, complications and real benefit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1980 and Jan 1995, 163 patients with hepatic metastases were operated on in our Department. In 132 cases, metastases originated from colorectal cancer: 105 were submitted to hepatic resection, 3 were treated by selective ischemia, 5 by chemotherapy through an infusaid catheter, 5 by alcoholization under ultrasonographic control, 14 by a new phase II trial of schedule oriented biochemical modulation of FUra bolus by MTX and B interferon and FUra continuous infusion by leucovorin. RESULTS: Out of 76 metachronous metastases operated on, 10 were metastatic hepatic recurrences surgically treated by second resection. The average time-interval intercurring between the two hepatic resections was 15 months. The average follow-up and survival period after repeated resection was 27 months (range 2-129). CONCLUSIONS: Through the analysis of these ten cases, we sorted out the segmentary localization of hepatic metastases, the type of operation performed, the disease free interval, serum CEA patterns, morbidity and survival.