Management of hepatic metastasis of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors

Background: Hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation, intra-arterial radiation therapy, and chemoembolization are all potential therapies in the treatment of metastatic carcinoid tumors of the liver. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors in the management of hepatic metastases of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. Methods: We reviewed our prospective database of 1084 hepato-pancreatico-biliary patients for patients with the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoid to the liver from 6/1998 to 9/2006. Results: We identified 54 patients, 21 men, 33 women, median age 59 years (range 37-86), median number of tumors 3 (range 1-27), and median size of hepatic metastasis of 4 cm (range 1-13). Hepatic resection was performed in 23 (43%) with 16 (70%) receiving additional hepatic directed therapy. Hepatic resection was found to have a statistically significant improved overall survival (P < 0.05) when compared to nonhepatic resection patients with an actuarial 5 years survival for surgical (75%) compared to nonsurgical (62%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the use of tobacco was a significant factor in poor overall outcome (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Multimodality therapy in the management of hepatic carcinoid metastasis can be done safely and effectively. We recommend the use of hepatic resection when feasible as this treatment most likely offers the best long-term outcome.