Abstract:

Objective To investigate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for inhibiting colorectal liver metastasis. Methods Clinical records of 76 patients who were treated for colorectal liver cancer metastasis at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery. The following patient data were analyzed： size of the primary colorectal cancer and its liver metastases，serum CEA levels before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy，radical resection，chemotherapy side effects， surgical complications and 2-year survival. Results The size of the primary tumor and its liver metastases decreased significantly after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in most patients， as did serum CEA levels （P＜0.05）. The objective response rate for liver metastases was 66.11%（51/76），with 0 cases of complete remission （CR），51 partial remission （PR），24 stable disease（SD），and 1 progressive disease （PD）. The objective response rate for primary tumors was 57.89%（44/76），with 0 cases of CR，44 PR，30 SD，and 2 PD. The main side effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were peripheral nerve toxicity，myelosup-presion and gastrointestinal reaction. The rate of radical resection was 30.26%（23/76），and the rate of surgical complications was 3.95%. The 2-year survival rate was significantly higher among patients treated by radical resection than among those who did not receive this treatment. Conclusion Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is effective and tolerable for patients with colorectal liver metastases. It may improve not only the radical resection rate but also prognosis.

Key words: Colorectal neoplasm, Liver metastases, Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Surgery