In approximately 20% of patients, however, evidence of http://www.selleckchem.com/products/pfi-2.html Cancer spread to distant organs is found concurrent with discovery of the primary lesion. In addition, up to 70% of patients with stage I-III disease initially will develop metastases (stage IV) at some point following diagnosis. The most common site of hematogenous spread is the liver, with Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 40% of stage IV patients having liver only disease (1). Despite recent advances in chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis for metastatic

colon cancer remains poor, with few patients surviving beyond 5 years. In the past two decades, hepatic metastasectomy has emerged as a promising technique for improving survival in patients with metastatic colon cancer and in some cases providing long-term cure. In a large multi-institutional Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical review of 1568 patients, Nordlinger et al. (2) demonstrated the safety of hepatic metastasectomy with 2.3% operative mortality and actuarial 5-year survival of 28%. The authors identified plurality and size of tumors as predictors of recurrent disease and eventual death. In a retrospective review of 1001 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal metastases at

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Fong et al. (3) reported similar low operative mortality (2.8%) and 5-year survival of 37% with 22% of patients alive at 10 years. Multivariate analysis revealed node positive primary, presence of extrahepatic disease, CEA >200 ng/mL, >1 tumor, size Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical >5 cm and short disease free interval as predictors for early recurrence and poor overall survival. Using this data, a clinical risk score was created that can help predict who will benefit most from surgical intervention. Because results from hepatic metastasectomy have been so favorable, a randomized trial assessing its efficacy and safety is impossible at the present time. Therefore, review of retrospective data has been Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the only means by which to predict those who will recur early and have limited survival. The common poor predictors amongst the various studies have included the size of the primary tumor, presence of multiple hepatic lesions

and evidence of extrahepatic disease (2-5). These factors can be best determined preoperatively using cross-sectional imaging. Historically, ultrasonography (US) was the method of choice for identifying hepatic metastases, but advancements in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have led many to improved detection of occult lesions and better definition of surgical anatomy. Planning resection There are many anatomic factors to consider when planning hepatic resection for metastatic disease. When assessing feasibility of resection, it is important to identify the number of segments involved, proximity of lesions to arteries, veins and bile ducts, as well as predict the amount of remnant liver following resection.