Advances in therapeutics for liver metastasis from colorectal cancer

Abstract

The evolution of chemotherapeutic regimens that include targeted molecular agents has resulted in a breakthrough in the management of advanced colorectal liver metastasis (CLM), improving the progression-free survival after liver resection, and rendering initially unresectable liver tumors resectable, with reported resection rates ranging from 13% to 51%. In addition, the criteria used for selecting patients for hepatectomy have been expanding because of advances in surgical techniques and improvements in chemotherapy. However, the increasing use of chemotherapy has raised concern about potential hepatotoxicities such as steatosis, chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis, and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, and their deleterious effects on postoperative outcome. The present review focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of chemotherapy, strategies for the prevention and diagnosis of chemotherapy-associated liver injury, and the adoption of more aggressive surgical approaches, which have changed the traditional paradigm for CLM.