Liver Metastasis of Cancer

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Metastasis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 4237

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Surgery, McGill University Health Center Research Institute, Cancer Program, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
Interests: oncology; liquid biopsy; mechanism of liver metastases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Liver metastases: the evolution of understanding the mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment options.

This Special Issue will focus on describing historically how our understanding of the mechanisms of disease has evolved and what future directions are needed. We will also describe the evolution of the diagnosis of the disease and how new technologies, such as liquid biopsies (ctDNA, CTCs, EVs) and biobanks, have advanced our ability to diagnose the disease and its recurrence, as well as to introduce new treatment options. In another chapter, we will explore different treatment options which have arisen over the years, from chemotherapy to targeted therapy and surgical interventions, and how both modalities have improved. We will also explore the impact on overall survival and progression-free survival with respect to quality of life and the direction of clinical trials.

All chapters in this Issue will focus on the impact different components have had on modeling clinical trials and their impact, the lesson learned, and the next steps.

Finally, the last chapter will encompass patients’ perspective on treatment options, understanding of the disease, and what is most important for them. For this, we will reach out to patient advocacy groups.

Dr. Anthoula Lazaris
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • liver metastases
  • mechanism of metastases
  • tumor and immune microenvironement
  • liquid biopsies
  • biobanks
  • treatments (targeted therapies and surgical)
  • patient advocacy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1632 KiB  
Article
Histopathological Growth Patterns Determine the Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis Following Liver Resection
by Lucyna Krzywoń, Anthoula Lazaris, Stephanie K. Petrillo, Oran Zlotnik, Zu-Hua Gao and Peter Metrakos
Cancers 2024, 16(18), 3148; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16183148 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1466
Abstract
Introduction: Colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) remains a lethal diagnosis, with an overall 5-year survival rate of 5–10%. Two distinct histopathological growth patterns (HGPs) of CRCLM are known to have significantly differing rates of patient survival and response to treatment. We set out [...] Read more.
Introduction: Colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) remains a lethal diagnosis, with an overall 5-year survival rate of 5–10%. Two distinct histopathological growth patterns (HGPs) of CRCLM are known to have significantly differing rates of patient survival and response to treatment. We set out to review the results of 275 patients who underwent liver resection for CRCLM at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) and analyze their clinical outcome, mutational burden, and pattern of cancer progression in light of their HGPs, and to consider their potential effect on surgical decision making. Methods: We performed a retrospective multivariate analysis on clinical data from patients with CRCLM (n = 275) who underwent liver resection at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC). All tumors were scored using international consensus guidelines by pathologists trained in HGP scoring. Results: A total of 109 patients (42.2%) were classified as desmoplastic and angiogenic, whereas 149 patients (57.7%) were non-desmoplastic and vessel co-opting. The 5-year survival rates for angiogenic patients compared with vessel co-opting patients were 47.1% and 13%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed patients with vessel co-opting CRCLM had a higher incidence of extrahepatic metastatic disease (p = 0.0215) compared with angiogenic CRCLM. Additionally, KRAS mutation status was a marker of increased likelihood of disease recurrence (p = 0.0434), as was increased number of liver tumors (p = 0.0071) and multiple sites of extrahepatic metastatic disease (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Multivariate analysis identified key clinical prognostic and molecular features correlating with the two HGPs. Determining liver tumor HGPs is essential for patient prognostication and treatment optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liver Metastasis of Cancer)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 4289 KiB  
Review
False Liver Metastasis by Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scan after Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer—Potential Overstaged Pitfalls of Treatment
by Sen-Ei Shai, Yi-Ling Lai, Chen-I Chang and Chi-Wei Hsieh
Cancers 2024, 16(5), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16050948 - 26 Feb 2024
Viewed by 2401
Abstract
In patients with esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), subsequent restaging with F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) can reveal the presence of interval metastases, such as liver metastases, in approximately 10% of cases. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon in clinical practice [...] Read more.
In patients with esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), subsequent restaging with F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) can reveal the presence of interval metastases, such as liver metastases, in approximately 10% of cases. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon in clinical practice to observe focal FDG uptake in the liver that is not associated with liver metastases but rather with radiation-induced liver injury (RILI), which can result in the overstaging of the disease. Liver radiation damage is also a concern during distal esophageal cancer radiotherapy due to its proximity to the left liver lobe, typically included in the radiation field. Post-CRT, if FDG activity appears in the left or caudate liver lobes, a thorough investigation is needed to confirm or rule out distant metastases. The increased FDG uptake in liver lobes post-CRT often presents a diagnostic dilemma. Distinguishing between radiation-induced liver disease and metastasis is vital for appropriate patient management, necessitating a combination of imaging techniques and an understanding of the factors influencing the radiation response. Diagnosis involves identifying new foci of hepatic FDG avidity on PET/CT scans. Geographic regions of hypoattenuation on CT and well-demarcated regions with specific enhancement patterns on contrast-enhanced CT scans and MRI are characteristic of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD). Lack of mass effect on all three modalities (CT, MRI, PET) indicates RILD. Resolution of abnormalities on subsequent examinations also helps in diagnosing RILD. Moreover, it can also help to rule out occult metastases, thereby excluding those patients from further surgery who will not benefit from esophagectomy with curative intent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liver Metastasis of Cancer)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop