Adjuvant chemotherapy for resected colorectal cancermetastases： literature review and meta-analysis

Surgical resection is the only option of cure for patientswith metastatic colorectal cancer （CRC）. However, therisk of recurrence within 18 mo after metastasectomyis around 75% and the liver is the most frequentsite of relapse. The current international guidelinesrecommend an adjuvant therapy after surgical resectionof CRC metastases despite the lower level ofevidence （based on the quality of studies in thissetting）. However, there is still no standard treatmentand the effective role of an adjuvant therapy remainscontroversial. The aim of this review is to report thestate-of-art of systemic chemotherapy and regionalchemotherapy with hepatic arterial infusion in themanagement of patients after resection of metastasesfrom CRC, with a literature review and meta-analysisof the relevant randomized controlled trials.