Semin Liver Dis 2018; 38(04): 351-356
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1669936
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Liver Transplantation for Neuroendocrine Tumors: What Have We Learned?

Chetana Lim
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
,
Eylon Lahat
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
,
Michael Osseis
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
,
Dobromir Sotirov
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
,
Chady Salloum
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
,
Daniel Azoulay
1   Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
2   INSERM, U955, Créteil, France
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
24 October 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Neuroendocrine tumors are slow-growing tumors and associated with prolonged overall survival even in the presence of untreated liver metastases. The presence of liver metastases may be responsible for severe symptoms with impairment of quality of life. Liver resection has been proposed to achieve better symptom control and/or improve overall survival, but this concerns less than 20% of patients with liver metastases. In addition, the chance to be really cured after liver resection is around 40%, which prompts consideration of liver transplantation as the only potential curative treatment. Time has come to move beyond the traditional debate around the best candidates and prognostic factors for liver transplantation. This review gives the opportunity to discuss new insights: (1) outcome of liver transplantation for neuroendocrine liver metastases as compared with hepatocellular carcinoma, (2) outcome of salvage liver transplantation as a secondary procedure after surgical resection of neuroendocrine liver metastases, (3) outcome of palliative liver transplantation for neuroendocrine liver metastases, and (4) the chance to be cured after liver transplantation for neuroendocrine liver metastases.