Objective: Compare perioperative course and long-term mortality after liver resection for colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases between patients who had preoperative treatment with portal vein embolization (PVE) and chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone.
Methods: Among patients undergoing liver resection for CRC metastases following preoperative chemotherapy treatment, 17 patients who had received preoperative PVE (group A) were compared with 17 matched controls who had no PVE (group B). Perioperative course and long-term mortality were compared between groups A and B and between group A and the entire group of 75 cases with preoperative chemotherapy (group C).
Results: Baseline characteristics for the matched groups A and B were similar. Group C included less major resections. Median intraoperative bleeding was 1600 ml in group A, 1200 ml in group B, and 1000 ml in group C (p < 0.05 vs. group A). Median postoperative stay was comparable in all groups (8-9 days). Operation time was 542 min in group A and 464 min in group B (p < 0.01). Mortality after 30 days and 1, 2, and 5 years was similar in all groups.
Conclusion: Perioperative outcome and long-term survival did not differ when comparing liver resection for CRC liver metastases preceded by PVE and chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone, except for the operation time. The study supports the safety of this "aggressive" combination approach in patients in need of tumor "downstaging" by chemotherapy and PVE to increase the remnant liver volume.