Successful treatment of conversion chemotherapy for initially unresectable synchronous colorectal liver metastasis

A 72-year-old woman with a sigmoid colon cancer anda synchronous colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM), whichinvolved the right hepatic vein (RHV) and the inferiorvena cava (IVC), was referred to our hospital. Themetastatic lesion was diagnosed as initially unresectablebecause of its invasion into the confluence of theRHV and IVC. After she had undergone laparoscopicsigmoidectomy for the original tumor, she consequentlyhad 3 courses of modified 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin,and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) plus cetuximab. Computedtomography revealed a partial response, and theconfluence of the RHV and IVC got free from cancerinvasion. After 3 additional courses of mFOLFOX6 pluscetuximab, preoperative percutaneous transhepaticportal vein embolization (PTPE) was performed tosecure the future remnant liver volume. Finally, a righthemihepatectomy was performed. The postoperativecourse was uneventful. The patient was dischargedfrom the hospital on postoperative day 13. She hadneither local recurrence nor distant metastasis 18 moafter the last surgical intervention. This multidisciplinarystrategy, consisting of conversion chemotherapy usingFOLFOX plus cetuximab and PTPE, could contributein facilitating curative hepatic resection for initiallyunresectable CRLM.Key words: Initially unresectable; Colorectal liver metastasis;Conversion chemotherapy; Cetuximab; Percutaneoustranshepatic portal vein embolization