[Possible surgical treatment of liver metastases (author's transl)]

Resection of liver metastases was performed in 31 patients from 1973 to 1980. There were 25 atypical partial resections and 6 anatomical hemihepatectomies. In agreement with some large collective there was a relatively favourable prognosis after resection of solitary metastases or of those restricted to a lobe or segment when the primary tumour was colorectal. Surprisingly favourable individual results were also obtained with en-bloc resection of malignant gastric tumour in which the liver had been infiltrated locally. Other oncological methods of treatment are inferior to surgical intervention and should only be used for inoperable liver metastases in the course of controlled clinical studies. Regular postoperative control with exhaustive application of all diagnostic possibilities for discovering metastases are justified in view of the therapeutic consequences only with respect to primary tumours in the colorectal region.