[Surgical treatment of metastatic liver cancer: the biological-behavioral basis of "homotherapy for heteropathy"].

Abstract

The incidence rate of secondary malignant liver tumors exceeds that of primary liver cancer. Approximately 25% to 50% of patients with solid tumors develop liver metastases during the course of their disease, which has become a key factor limiting the prognosis of patients with malignant tumors. Historical perspectives were constrained by the initial edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system in the 1970s, which uniformly classified liver metastases as incurable at Stage IV.This classification biologically defined the "nihilism" of local surgical intervention. In recent years, with the deepening study of tumor molecular biology, along with advances in systemic therapies, improvements in imaging, surgical techniques, and local treatments such as surgery, ablation, interventional therapy, and radiotherapy have significantly extended survival for patients with favorable biological behavior who have metastatic liver cancer. This paper discusses the epidemiological status of secondary malignant tumors, the biological basis for "homotherapy for heteropathy," and the currently recognized surgical treatment measures for favorable biological behavior, along with their associated survival benefits for metastatic liver cancer. Standardized and individualized local treatment of metastatic liver cancer relies on continued advances in multidisciplinary cooperation. Therefore, treatment strategies based on biological characteristic stratification can help improve patient survival rates and have the potential to alter clinical outcomes, shifting from palliative care toward curative goals for liver metastasis.