Surgical results of liver metastases of tumors other than colorectal-neuroendocrine: Is it really worth it or is it necessary?

Objectives: It is known that surgical treatment is advantageous in terms of efficacy and survival in colorectal cancer and neuroendocrine tumor liver metastases. Our aim in this study was to determine the results of surgical treatment of non-colorectal (NCR), non-neuroendocrine tumor (NNET) liver metastases (LM).

Material And Methods: A total of 125 patients having NCR and NNET were included in the study. Demographic characteristics of the patients, histological features of the tumor, time from resection of the primary tumor to the first diagnosis of liver metastases, synchronous and metachronous presentations of hepatic metastases with primary malignancy, type of resection, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and survival were analyzed retrosepctively.

Results: Median follow-up time was 21 (1-132) months. Mean overall survival (OS) and mean proression free survival (PFS) were 29.86 ± 2.4 and 21.23 ± 2.1 months respectively. Most of the cases were LM of breast (n= 33, 26.4%), gastric (n= 25, 20.0%) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) (n= 16, 12.8%). Interval from resection of primary tumor to the diagnosis of LM was 20.90 ± 28.9 (0-144) months. OS and DFS rates were found respectively as; 78% and 69% at one year, 45% and 38% at three years, 32% and 21% at five years and 3.2% and 1.6% at 10 years. Breast cancer liver metastases had the longest OS and PFS. Pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer group significantly have shorter OS than the other groups.

Conclusion: According to our data, the results are better in breast and GIST liver metastases, and the place of surgical treatment in pancreatic and malignant melanoma liver metastases is controversial.