Surgical management of hepatic metastatic disease

In Europe, liver metastases are the most common malignomas of the liver. The majority of metastases are due to colorectal cancer. Radical surgical resection, if possible, is the treatment of choice. Radical resection of metastases from wilms-tumor, carcinoids, carcinoma of the breast, hypernephroma, adrenal tumors, malignant melanoma, leiomyosarcoma and gastric cancer may improve long time survival, however knowledge is too small for giving general directions. Local destructive therapies are only beneficial when a total necrosis of the tumor is reached. Indications for this treatment are quite rare. Both, systemic and local chemotherapy offers only palliation with little influence on long time survival. Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is applicated under study conditions with encouraging results. Chemoembolisation of metastases might be useful in individual cases.