Background: This prospective study evaluated the effect of bevacizumab on the hypertrophy of the future liver remnant (FLR) after portal vein occlusion (PVO) before major hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases.
Methods: Twenty-seven patients with colorectal liver metastases treated with preoperative FOLFOX/FOLFIRI chemotherapy regimen since 2002 were evaluated for the degree of hypertrophy of the FLR after right PVO. The results were compared with a similar group of 13 patients treated since 2006 with a chemotherapeutic regimen including bevacizumab and PVO. The FLR was measured by volumetric computed tomography 4 weeks before and after PVO.
Results: Before PVO, the FLR volumes were similar in the 13 patients who received bevacizumab (bev+) (mean +/- standard deviation, 497 +/- 136 cm(3)) and the 27 patients who did not receive bevacizumab (bev-) (511 +/- 222 cm(3), P = NS). After PVO, the increase in the FLR volume was significantly lower in the bev+ group (561 +/- 171 cm(3)) compared with the bev- group (667 +/- 213 cm(3), P < .031). In the bev+ group, patients who had received six or more cycles and were > or =60 years old experienced far lower hypertrophy. A right hepatectomy was performed in 29 patients (72%) without mortality and no clinically important differences in morbidity.
Conclusions: Bevacizumab may impair hypertrophy of the FLR after PVO in preparation for major hepatectomy particularly, in patients aged > or =60 years and those who receive six or more cycles of bevacizumab, suggesting that major liver resection should be considered with caution in patients who have received bevacizumab.