[A case of a colon cancer patient with liver metastasis subjected to hepatectomy after achieving radiographic complete response with preoperative chemotherapy].

In 2006, a 70-year-old man who underwent low anterior resection for rectal cancer (SS, N0, H1, Stage IV)at a nearby hospital was referred to our hospital. He was noted to have multiple liver metastases of approximately 1 cm in diameter in S2, S3, S6, and S7, and was subsequently treated with chemotherapy for 5 courses of mFOLFOX6 regimen. He achieved a complete response radiographically. Thereafter, he underwent lateral segmentectomy of the liver and was noted to have residual tumor cells by histopathological examination of the resected tissue. Seven months after the hepatectomy, recurrence occurred in S6 and S7 and a new lesion in S8 was noted. He then underwent 12 courses of mFOLFOX6. As of June 2012, the patient is alive without recurrence. A prolonged survival may be possible if downstaging is achieved with successful chemotherapy. However, similar to the present case, the detection of residual cancer cells during histopathological examination of the resected tissues has been reported in the literature. Thus, further investigation is needed to determine the optimal treatment of cases achieving a radiographic complete response.