Liver transplantation for non-resectable colorectal liver metastases: A review

In Chile, colorectal cancer ranks third in incidence and fifth in mortality. Half of these patients have liver metastases at the diagnosis, and only 30% of them are resectable. Despite the development of many complex hepatobiliary procedures to achieve the total resection of metastases, the long-term survival with these techniques is not good. Liver transplantation is an alternative to treat unresectable liver metastasis from colorectal cancer with a good outcome. Several prognostic scores allow the selection of patients with good tumor biology. These patients have better overall and disease-free survival after liver transplantation. The use of immunosuppressive treatment doesn't increase recurrence, and even the pattern of tumor growth is slower in liver transplant recipients. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence in this topic and to highlight the need for a formal protocol for liver transplantation for unresectable colorectal liver metastases, using living donors or marginal grafts to avoid competition with the rest of the national waiting list.