Living donor liver transplantation for colorectal cancer liver metastases: Midterm outcomes at a single center in North America

Abstract

In recent years, liver transplantation has emerged as a treatment for patients with stage IV colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Given the limited number of available deceased donor grafts, the use of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) can be an important option. We performed a retrospective analysis of 10 patients that underwent LDLT for CRLM at our institution. A total of 90% of patients were male, with median age of 58 years and median model for end-stage liver disease score of 11 (range: 6-32). The rectum was the most common primary location (40%). Synchronous liver tumors were found in 50%. Pretransplant patients underwent resection (60%), hepatic-artery infusion pumping (50%), and/or radiofrequency ablation (50%). Everybody underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. Median cold ischemia time was 103 minutes (range: 93-207 minutes), and median total OR time was 11.5 hours (range: 8.5-13.9 hours). In total, 30% of patients had postoperative complications requiring reoperation. Mean recurrence-free survival was 2.2 years (95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.2 years), and mean overall survival was 3.0 years (95% confidence interval, 2.5-3.6 years). In total, 30% of patients suffered a recurrence, and 90% of patients are currently alive. This study represents the largest single-center analysis in North America of patients undergoing LDLT for CRLM. LDLT is a safe and effective alternative for patients with CRLM who do not have progressive disease or extrahepatic metastasis.

Keywords: colorectal liver metastasis; living donor liver transplantation.