Treatment outcomes of hepatectomy for liver metastases of gastric cancer diagnosed using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for liver metastases of gastric cancer (LMGC). Hepatectomy for LMGC reportedly has a 5-year survival rate of 13-37 %; however, its significance has not been established. At our hospital, hepatectomy is performed for patients with three or fewer metastases diagnosed using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To identify the ideal patient subpopulation for resection, we retrospectively analyzed treatment outcomes in patients with LMGC who underwent hepatectomy. Clinicopathological factors affecting survival were explored using univariate and multivariate analyses in 28 patients who underwent hepatectomy for LMGC diagnosed using contrast-enhanced MRI between December 2004 and October 2014. The study included 23 men and 5 women with a median age of 72 years. Metastases were synchronous in 15 patients and metachronous in 13 patients. The median overall survival time was 49 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 32 %. Univariate analysis revealed that overall survival time was shorter in the presence of the following factors: age ae70 years (p = 0.030), synchronous liver metastases (p = 0.017), and presence of postoperative complications (p = 0.042). In patients with metachronous liver metastases, the post-resection 5-year survival rate was 59 %. The 5-year survival rate was 32 % in patients who underwent hepatectomy for LMGC according to our criteria, suggesting that hepatectomy is an important treatment if indications are on the basis of contrast-enhanced MRI. Therefore, active resection should be considered, particularly for patients with metachronous liver metastases.