[Treatment for synchronous liver metastasis of colorectal cancer]

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the developed world, due to formation of distant metastases. The liver is the primary target organ of metastatic lesions, which substantially influence the morbidity of the disease. At the time of diagnosis of colorectal cancer, about 15% to 20% of patients are found to have synchronous liver metastases and an average of 25% of all patients will develop metachronous liver metastases in the course of their disease. Prompt diagnosis of colorectal liver metastases leads to early treatment, which favours a better prognosis. Consequently, the diagnostic process has shifted from traditional clinical procedures to technologically advanced imaging modalities, such as CT, MRI, FDG-PET and PET-CT. The only curative therapy of colorectal liver metastases is surgical resection using the new methods of tissue excision and haemostasis. Depending on the number of metastases, the location, the volume, the extrahepatic spread and the overall condition of the patient, complete resection is only possible in 20% of all cases. If resection is not feasible, a large number of systemic or local palliative treatment options are available.