Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Used for Colorectal Liver and Lung Metastasis Resections

Objective

The aim of this study is to determine the hospital's efficiency as regards neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the resection of initially unresectable metastases for patients with metastatic primary colorectal cancer and to describe the chemotherapy used.

Methods

Descriptive, retrospective study of patients with colorectal cancer from 2004 to 2007. The percentage of resection for metastases following neoadjuvant chemotherapy administration was studied.

Results

Clinical histories of 118 patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer were reviewed. Metastases were initially resectable in ten patients (8.5%) and unresectable in the remaining 108 patients (91.5%). Following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, metastatic resection was performed on 19 patients.

Conclusions

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy played an important role in treating patients with disseminated metastatic colorectal cancer by reducing, in some cases, tumour size and treating initially unresectable metastases susceptible to subsequent surgical resection.

FOLFOX scheme was the most used neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment.