Background: The treatment of hepatic metastases from gastric cancer is controversial, due to biologic aggressiveness of the disease.
Objective: To survey the clinical approach to the subset of patients presenting with metachronous hepatic metastases as sole site of recurrence after curative resection of gastric cancer, focusing on the results achieved by different therapies and to investigate the prognostic factors of major clinical relevance.
Methods: Retrospective multi-center chart review evaluating 73 patients, previously submitted to D >or= 2 gastrectomy for gastric cancer, who developed exclusive hepatic recurrence. Prognostic factors related to the patient, to the gastric malignancy and its treatment, and to the metastatic disease and its therapy were evaluated.
Results: Forty-five patients received supportive care, 17 were submitted to chemotherapy, and 11 to hepatic resection. Survival was independently influenced by the variables T (p=0.019), N (p=0.05) and G (p=0.018) of the gastric primary and by the therapeutic approach to the metastases (p<0.005). In particular, T4 gastric cancer, presence of lymph-node metastases and G3 tumor displayed a negative prognostic value. Therapeutic approach to the metastases was the principal prognostic variable: 1, 2, and 3 years survival rates were 22.2%, 4.4% and 2.2%, respectively, for patients without specific treatment; 44.9%, 12.8% and 6.4% after chemotherapy (p=0.08) and 80.8%, 30.3% and 20.2% after surgical resection (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Our data suggest some clinical criteria that may facilitate selection of therapy for patients with hepatic recurrence after primary gastric cancer resection. The best survival rates are associated with surgical treatment, which should be chosen whenever possible.