[Signification of liver metastases of colorectal cancer with special reference to recurrence in the residual liver after hepatic resection].

In the patients with liver metastases of colorectal cancer, pre-and post operative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy was evaluated for prevention of recurrence in the residual liver after hepatic resection. Materials are sixty-five hepatectomized patients from May 1981 to 1992. Therapies were subdivided into five groups. I: pre-and postoperative non-therapy (n = 3); II: postoperative chemotherapy (n = 22); III: postoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (n = 12); IV: pre-operative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy + postoperative chemotherapy (n = 15); and V: pre-and postoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (n = 13). In recurrence rate in the residual liver, I to IV groups showed as high as 50-100%. However, the disease-free survival rate was 100% in V group, revealing a significant difference between the other four groups. Accordingly, in order to prevent recurrence in the residual liver of hepatectomized patients with liver metastases of colorectal cancer and prolong the disease-free interval, we consider that pre-and post-operative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy can be effective, compared to pre-or postoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy alone.