Resection of liver metastases from a noncolorectal primary: Indications and results based on 147 monocentric patients

Background: Very few series have reported indications for and results of hepatectomy for isolated unique or multiple liver metastases (LM) from a noncolorectal primary. We performed a prospective analysis of 147 patients submitted to hepatectomy for LM to evaluate the results and indications for this unusual type of treatment. Study Design: Of 538 patients submitted to hepatectomy for a malignant tumor between 1984 and 1996, 147 underwent operations for noncolorectal LM. Conventional and unconventional hepatectomy procedures were used with intermittent clamping of the hepatic pedicle, and in some patients with intermittent vascular occlusion of the liver. Results: Postoperative hospital mortality was 2%. The crude 5-year survival was 36%, and survival without progressive disease was 28%. No difference was observed in survival when synchronous and metachronous LM were compared, or when patients with more or fewer than three LM were compared. Five-year survival rates were 20% for 35 breast cancers, 74% for 27 neuroendocrine tumors, 46% for 20 testicular tumors, 18% for 13 sarcomas, and slightly less than 20% for 11 gastric carcinomas, 10 melanomas, and 7 tumors of the gallbladder, according to the primary. Survival exceeded 20% for 6 gynecologic tumors but was disappointing for head and neck cancers, when the primary was unknown, or when the tumor was truly undifferentiated. Conclusions: Certain guidelines emerge from this series on the indications and uses of adjuvant chemotherapy. Indications for hepatectomy are relatively straightforward for neuroendocrine, testicular, and renal tumors. Hepatectomy for LM from other primaries appears beneficial in certain sarcomas, breast and gynecologic cancers, and perhaps melanoma, for which selection criteria, unfortunately, remain obscure.