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Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology

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01-12-2011 | Original Paper

Interventional therapies of unresectable liver metastases

Author: Jun Qian

Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology | Issue 12/2011

Abstract

Liver metastases are the major cause of mortality in patients with gastrointestinal carcinomas and other malignant tumors, carrying a poor prognosis and presenting considerable management. Surgical resection remains the only curative therapy for liver metastases up to now. However, only a small percentage of patients are suitable for curative resection due to many factors: multi-centric tumors, extrahepatic metastases, early vascular invasion, and coexisting advanced liver cirrhosis. In non-surgical cases, regional interventional therapies have led to a major break through in the treatment of unresectable liver metastases, which include transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT), cryosurgical ablation (CSA), microwave coagulation therapy (MCT), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), and others. As a result of the technical development of locoregional approaches for unresectable liver metastases during recent decades, the range of combined interventional therapies has been continuously enlarged. The current roles of these treatment options for liver metastases are discussed in this review.

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Title: Interventional therapies of unresectable liver metastases
Author: Jun Qian
Publication date: 01-12-2011
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology / Issue 12/2011
Print ISSN: 0171-5216
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1335
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-011-1026-9

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