Surgery and radioembolization of liver tumors

 Abstract

Surgical resection is considered the curative treatment par excellence for patients with primary or metastatic liver tumors. However, less than 40% of them are candidates for surgery, either due to non-modifiable factors (comorbidities, age, liver dysfunction…), or to the invasion or proximity of the tumor to the main vascular requirements, the lack of a future liver remnant (FLR) adequate to maintain postoperative liver function, or criteria of tumor size and number. In these last factors, hepatic radioembolization has been shown to play a role as a presurgical tool, either by hypertrophy of the FLR or by reducing tumor size that manages to reduce tumor staging (term known as "downstaging").

To these is added a third factor, which is its ability to apply the test of time, which makes it possible to identify those patients who present progression of the disease in a short period of time (both locally and at distance), avoiding a unnecessary surgery.

This paper aims to review RE as a tool to facilitate liver surgery, both through the experience of our center and the available scientific evidence.

CITATION  Rev Esp Med Nucl Imagen Mol (Engl Ed). 2023 Jul-Aug;42(4):265-271. doi: 10.1016/j.remnie.2023.06.002. Epub 2023 Jun 13