ASO Author Reflections: Patients with Recurrence Amenable to Local Therapy for Colorectal Liver Metastases May Experience Improved Survival

Recurrence after curative-intent hepatectomy is common, affecting 50–85% of patients,^1,2 and early recurrence within 6 months may cause dismay for both patients and surgeons. Moreover, it has been suggested that hepatectomy followed by early recurrence represents futile surgery because patients incur the risks of surgery without an appreciable disease-free interval.³ Thus, despite multiple potential local therapy options, further local therapy may be avoided for patients with early recurrence due to questionable benefit. This study sought to examine the authors’ experience with local therapy and early recurrence to guide clinicians’ approach to this challenging situation. …