Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: A Trigger for Liver Metastases Development? New Insights into the Underlying Mechanisms

Surgery is a crucial intervention and provides the best chance of cure for patients with colorectal cancer. Experimental and clinical evidence, however, suggests that paradoxically surgery itself may precipitate or accelerate tumor recurrence and/or liver metastasis development. This review addresse...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Simran Grewal, Steven J. Oosterling, Marjolein van Egmond
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
Series:Biomedicines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/2/177
Description
Summary:Surgery is a crucial intervention and provides the best chance of cure for patients with colorectal cancer. Experimental and clinical evidence, however, suggests that paradoxically surgery itself may precipitate or accelerate tumor recurrence and/or liver metastasis development. This review addresses the various aspects of surgery-induced metastasis formation and sheds light on the role of inflammation as potential trigger for metastasis development. Understanding these mechanisms may provide potential new perioperative interventions to improve treatment outcomes, and as such could transform the perioperative timeframe from a facilitator of metastatic progression to a window of opportunity to reduce the risk of liver metastasis development. Ultimately, this can potentially improve long-term survival rates and quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer.
ISSN:2227-9059