Hepatic metastases from breast cancer

The prognosis of patients with hepatic metastasis from breast cancer treated with systemic or regional chemotherapy is disappointing. When technically feasible, liver resection offers the best results. Eighteen patients out of 22 submitted to laparotomy underwent radical liver resection. Median follow-up from liver resection was 36 months. The median time interval between breast cancer diagnosis and disease recurrence was 35 months. Median disease-free survival and overall survival from liver resection were 66 and 74 months, respectively. Median survival time from breast cancer surgery was 88.5 months. Surgical treatment of liver metastases should be carried out on young and older patients alike when site of metastases is the liver alone. Neoadjuvant treatment and preoperative diagnostic laparoscopy should be planned in future experience. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.