Streamline phenomena in liver metastasis of gastrointestinal tumors - a clinical-study based upon 172 patients

Location and number of liver metastasis of gastrointestinal tumors were detected preoperatively and intraoperatively. The distribution of the liver segment(s) occupied by metastatic tumors varied significantly (p<0.05). Significantly more frequent distributions were demonstrated in the lateral segment with gastric cancer (p<0.05), in the posterior segment with left colic cancer (p<0.001), in the medial segment with rectal cancer (p<0.01), in the anterior segment with bile duct cancer (p<0.05) and the whole of the liver with pancreatic cancer (p<0.05). Significantly less frequent distribution was demonstrated in the posterior segment with gastric cancer (p<0.01). When the liver was divided into the right and the left halves, the distribution of each half of the liver occupied by metastatic tumors varied significantly (p<0.05). Liver metastases of whole colic cancer were significantly more frequent in the right half of the liver (p<0.05). The results suggest that the tumor distribution in liver metastases of gastrointestinal tumors differ depending upon the primary tumors, basically in accordance with the 'streamline' phenomena.