[Radiofrequency ablation of colorectal liver metastases]

Liver resection is the preferred treatment for colorectal liver metastases. About 30 to 40 % of the patients survive for five years after radical resection of liver metastases. In contrast to that, patients who are not fit enough for radical resection of metastases and two are treated by chemotherapy survive only for 18 months on average. The survival of patients with non-resectable liver metastases can be improved by metastases destruction and subsequent chemotherapy. At present, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is widely used for the destruction of liver tumours.

In the four-year period (2000-2003), 190 patients with liver metastases of colorectal carcinoma have been operated upon at the 2 (nd) Surgical Department of University Hospital in Olomouc. Radical resection of metastases was carried out in 136 patients (71.5 %), RFA combined with liver resection was performed in 23 patients (12 %) and exclusive RFA of metastases was indicated in 31 patients (16 %). The patients were evaluated for the disease-free survival after one year and the survival rates at 12, 24 and 36 months after operation were determined.

12 months after the operation no tumour progression was found in 115 patients (85 %) subjected to radical resection of liver metastases, in 16 patients (52 %) after sole RFA of metastases and in 15 individuals (65 %) who underwent liver metastasis resection combined with RFA of the remaining cancer foci. The survival of patients after 12, 24 and 36 months was 124 / 136 (91 %) 103 / 136 (76 %) and 79 / 136 (58 %) in the group of radical metastasis resection; after sole RFA of the metastases and subsequent chemotherapy, the survival at 12, 24 and 36 months amounted to 27 / 31 (87 %), 19 / 31 (61 %) and 8 / 31 (26 %) of the patients; in the group undergoing metastases resection combined with RFA and adjuvant chemotherapy patient survival at 12, 24 and 36 months was as follows: 19 / 23 (83 %), 13 / 23 (57 %), and 7 / 23 (30 %).

RFA combined with adjuvant chemotherapy considerably extends the survival of patients with liver metastases of colorectal carcinoma compared to chemotherapy alone. However, no difference in survival was found between our patients subjected to RFA of metastases and adjuvant chemotherapy and those patients undergoing resection of liver metastases combined with RFA of unresectable metastases and subsequent chemotherapy.