Aggressive surgery for metastatic liver neuroendocrine tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract (carcinoids, pancreatic endocrine tumors) have low malignant potential but can decrease survival rates if they spread to the liver (LNET).

The records of 16 patients with LNET primarily from gastrointestinal carcinoids treated surgically were retrospectively reviewed.

There were 12 women and 4 men. Median age was 56 years (range 25 to 75). Thirteen (81%) had a carcinoid tumor and 5 had gastrinoma. Two patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 had both a gastric carcinoid and a jejunal gastrinoma. Eight patients (50%) had the carcinoid syndrome. Each patient had all identifiable LNET either resected or ablated. Ten patients had liver wedge resections, 1 right trisegmentectomy, 5 left hepatic lobectomies, and 2 radiofrequency ablations. Thirteen (81%) patients had concomitant bowel resections. Two patients had concomitant total gastrectomies to remove stomach primaries. The final patient had an extraintestinal pelvic primary or a liver primary. There were no operative deaths, and all 8 (100%) patients with the carcinoid syndrome had amelioration of symptoms. The 5-year actuarial survival rate was 82% with a median follow-up of 32 months.

This study demonstrates that liver and concomitant extrahepatic surgery can be performed safely in patients with liver metastases because of carcinoids or pancreatic endocrine tumors. It results in excellent long-term survival and amelioration of symptoms. Surgery should be the first-line therapy for patients with LNET.