Colorectal metastasis (liver and lung)

Abstract

Distant metastases are the major cause of death for colorectal carcinoma patients. Depending on the primary tumor's stage, liver metastases occur in 20% to 70% of patients and lung metastases in 10% to 20%. Unlike many other cancers, the presence of distant metastases from colorectal cancer does not preclude curative treatment. Surgical resection remains the only treatment that can ensure long-term survival and cure in some patients, but only a minority of liver metastases are amenable to surgery. New treatment modalities including portal vein embolization, perioperative chemotherapy and local destruction with cryotherapy or radiofrequency ablation may make more patients suitable for surgical resection of hepatic metastases and may prolong survival in cases of nonresectabilitv. The availability of new active drugs has changed the treatment of liver metastases from colorectal cancer.