Outcomes for patients following hepatic resection of metastatic tumors from gastric cancer

Although several studies have reported the efficacy of hepatic resection for the long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer metastases, the optimal treatment remains to be determined. Seventeen patients underwent a hepatic resection for gastric cancer metastases at the National Defense Medical College Hospital. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of surgical resection and identified factors associated with prognosis for patients who underwent hepatectomy for gastric cancer metastases. In 17 patients, the accumulated 5-year survival rate after hepatic resection was 31.5% and the median survival time was 34 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that gastric tumors less than 6.0 cm and D2 lymphadenectomy were the most important predictors of survival. The five patients who survived more than 5 years after hepatic resection had a D2 lymphadenectomy, modest lymphatic invasion, primary gastric tumors less than 6.0 cm, and a solitary liver metastasis. Although recent progress in adjuvant therapy should be the key to a good prognosis, we believe that surgical resection may bring some hope of long-term survival for judiciously selected patients with hepatic metastases from gastric cancer.