Hepatic Resection for Hepatic Metastases from Gastric Adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE: The effects of hepatic resection on patients with metastatic tumors from gastric adenocarcinomas are unclear. Therefore, we analyzed early clinical outcomes in patients who underwent surgical resection for hepatic metastases from gastric adenocarcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2003 to December 2010, 1,508 patients with primary gastric cancers underwent curative gastric resections at the Korea Cancer Center Hospital. Of these patients, 12 with liver-only metastases underwent curative hepatic resection. Their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 12.5 months (range, 1~85 months); no operative mortalities or major complications were observed. Three patients underwent synchronous resections, and 9 underwent metachronous resections. In the latter group, the median interval between gastrectomy and hepatectomy for hepatic metastasis was 10.5 months (range, 5~47 months). The overall 1- and 5-year survival rates of these 12 patients were 65% and 39%, respectively, with a median overall survival of 31.0 months; 2 patients survived for >5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic resection can be a feasible procedure for treating hepatic metastases from gastric adenocarcinomas. Although this study was small and involved only selected cases, the outcomes of the hepatic resections were comparable and long-term (>5 years) survivors were identified. Surgical resection of the liver can be considered a feasible option in managing hepatic metastases from gastric adenocarcinomas.