Chapter 21 - Liver transplantation for secondary liver cancers: Surgical considerations

As the field of transplant oncology has grown, so have the types of cancer that are considered transplantable. Liver transplantation for secondary cancers is increasingly common, as evidence of excellent post-transplant survival for these conditions accumulates. As a result of the enumeration of patient selection criteria in the SECA-I and SECA-II studies, transplantation for colorectal liver metastases is a growing treatment option. In carefully selected patients with non-resectable disease, 5-year post-transplant overall survival rates can reach 83%, much higher than for other treatments. Similarly, patients with unresectable gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with amenable tumor biology can have overall survival rates of up to 90% at 5 years post-transplant. Living donor liver transplantation may be an option for candidates meeting center criteria. Transplantation for secondary liver tumors is a rapidly evolving field, with many new advances expected in the coming years.