Impact of primary tumour location on colorectal liver metastases: A systematic review

Abstract

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite significant advances in screening, surgical management and adjuvant therapies, average 5-year survival seldom exceeds 60% in most developed nations. Metastatic disease represents the primary cause of mortality in patients with CRC, and the liver is the most common location for distant tumour spread. Up to 25% of patients are found to have synchronous liver metastases at the time of diagnosis and a further 30%-40% will develop metachronous disease in the course of follow-up. It has been suggested that primary tumour location [right side versus left side, primary tumour location (PTL)] can influence oncological outcomes in this patient group and that this should be considered in prognostic models and therapeutic decision-making algorithms. This suggestion is not universally accepted and there have been conflicting reports in the literature to date. AIM To provide a comprehensive summary of the available evidence regarding the impact of PTL on oncological outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE were searched for relevant publications using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. Data on oncological outcomes was then extracted from full text articles that met the predefined inclusion criteria. RESULTS A total of 41 studies were identified that met predefined inclusion criteria for this review. In 21 out of 38 studies that provided data on overall survival, a statistically significant improvement in overall survival was reported in patients with left sided primary tumours. These studies included a total of 13897 patients compared with 4306 patients in the studies that did not show a significant difference. Eight studies noted a similar trend towards improved disease-free or progression-free survival. Several authors observed distinct patterns of relapse after treatment of hepatic metastases according to PTL; for example hepatic recurrence after treatment of CRCLM appears to occur more aggressively with right-sided CRC. CONCLUSION Taken together, the findings of the present review indicate that PTL may have a role as an independent prognostic factor when determining treatment and disease surveillance strategies in CRC. The mechanisms responsible for this variation remain poorly understood, but are likely to relate to molecular, histological and embryological differences, as well as inherent differences in therapeutic sensitivity.

Cancer Cells Promote Phenotypic Alterations in Hepatocytes at the Edge of Cancer Cell Nests to Facilitate Vessel Co-Option Establishment in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

“…Metastases account for most of the CRC-related death [ 2 , 3 ]. At the time of diagnosis, approximately 25% of patients with CRC are diagnosed with synchronous metastases [ 4 ]. Additionally, 30–40% of the patients are found to develop metachronous metastases and another 25–30% of the patients develop liver metastases during the follow-up [ 4 ].…”

“…At the time of diagnosis, approximately 25% of patients with CRC are diagnosed with synchronous metastases [ 4 ]. Additionally, 30–40% of the patients are found to develop metachronous metastases and another 25–30% of the patients develop liver metastases during the follow-up [ 4 ]. Currently, surgical resection is the main treatment approach for CRCLM patients, which can achieve 5-year survival rates above 50%.…”

Prognostic impact of primary tumor site on liver metastasis in resectable colorectal cancer

“…However, there is no de nitive conclusion whether the prognosis is different for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) whom underwent simultaneous radical surgery as a result of different primary tumor sites (11)(12)(13). This study compared curative effect of radical operation in patients with CRLM, based on the primary tumor location.…”

Folinic Acid Potentiates the Liver Regeneration Process after Selective Portal Vein Ligation in Rats

“…Despite advances in chemotherapeutic approaches and other techniques for the ablative treatment of liver tumors, liver resection remains the gold standard treatment for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) or other liver malignancies [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]; CRCLM are the main indication for liver surgery in western countries [ 4 , 5 ]. Most of them have a gastrointestinal origin, which can be explained since the tumor cells can migrate from the primary tumor through the blood vessels to the liver, establishing and developing new tumor implants in this organ [ 4 ].…”