Liver cancer patients with rare metastases who received aggressive local treatment, like radiotherapy and radiofrequency ablation, showed significantly improved survival, a study showed.
A research team led by Professor Lim Chae-hong of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Korea University Ansan Medical Center recently released a meta-analysis study, “Local Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Oligometastases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”
Often referred to as the "silent killer," liver cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages because there are no obvious symptoms.
According to the National Cancer Information Center, liver cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in 2021, accounting for 12.4 percent of the total, and has a poor prognosis. At the metastatic stage, life expectancy is three to six months or less when given with only preservative treatment.
The treatment of metastatic liver cancer is usually centered on chemotherapy. Still, its role is limited in the presence of extrahepatic metastases. Furthermore, the role of local treatments, such as radiofrequency ablation and radiotherapy for metastatic sites, are not well studied compared to other cancers, often leading to the abandonment of aggressive treatment.
To determine the efficacy of local treatment in liver cancer with rare metastases, researchers conducted a systematic literature review based on 527 patients with rare metastases and 10 existing studies.
The results showed that those who received radiotherapy or radiofrequency ablation showed significantly improved survival compared to those who did not (odds ratio, 4.664). The one- and two-year survival rates for the local therapy group were 71.8 percent and 43.3 percent, respectively, significantly improving the life expectancy after conventional conservative treatment (Refer to Table).
"The results of this study suggest that even patients with metastatic liver cancer need aggressive local treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation, depending on the extent of metastasis and systemic health," Professor Lim said. "Even for patients with metastatic liver cancer, the need for local treatment should be evaluated through multidisciplinary care."
Lim went on to say, “In particular, recent advances in local treatment technology have enabled active treatment of metastatic cancer with minimal side effects, and the latest immuno-oncology drugs are being developed that are more effective than conventional drugs."
He added that efforts should be made to improve the prognosis of patients with metastatic liver cancer by combining these new drugs with local treatment.