Metastatic liver disease--a review

A common site of metastasis due to various forms of primary malignancies, is the liver. At present, increased screening of patients at risk has allowed early detection of the disease. Consequently, surgeons have started to perform hepatic resection for metastatic cancer, with the help of new or improved techniques with an enlarged spectrum of indications. New therapeutic modalities have also become available with the use of anti-cancer drugs, via new delivery devices, prior or after liver resection. Locoregional transarterial immuno-chemotherapy and isolated liver perfusion belong to this form of therapy. Although prognosis has improved impressively and low mortality and morbidity have emerged through improved surgical procedures, many patients still succumb to the disease due to locoregional recurrence of metastatic liver disease.