Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42512000›Full record

ReviewBiomedicines2026

The State of the Art on Management of Patients with Unresectable Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer.

Martim Porto, Beatriz Luciano, João Simões, Mónica Laureano, Inês Gil, Sara Pinheiro, Rui Caetano-Oliveira, Ricardo Martins, Miguel Coelho

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomedicines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Martim PortoGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Beatriz LucianoGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
João SimõesGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Mónica LaureanoGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Inês GilGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Sara PinheiroOncology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Rui Caetano-OliveiraFaculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7202-8059
Ricardo MartinsGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.
Miguel CoelhoGeneral Surgery Department, Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria, 2410-197 Leiria, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer frequently metastasizes to the liver, and a substantial proportion of patients present with unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), which are associated with limited survival. While systemic chemotherapy remains a central component of management, advances in liver-directed therapies and transplantation have significantly expanded therapeutic possibilities in selected patients. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of current management strategies for unresectable CRLM, with a focus on systemic chemotherapy, intra-arterial therapies, and liver transplantation. Systemic chemotherapy plays a central role, either as conversion therapy aimed at achieving secondary resectability or as palliative treatment to prolong survival and maintain quality of life. The integration of targeted agents and molecular profiling has enabled increasingly personalized therapeutic strategies. Liver-directed therapies, including hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, transarterial chemoembolization, and radioembolization, provide effective local disease control and may facilitate downstaging in selected patients. In parallel, liver transplantation has re-emerged as a promising option for highly selected patients with liver-only disease, demonstrating encouraging long-term survival in recent prospective studies. However, optimal patient selection, timing, and sequencing of these modalities remain key challenges. The management of unresectable CRLM is evolving toward a multidisciplinary and individualized approach that integrates systemic, locoregional, and transplant-based strategies. In selected patients, this paradigm shift may translate into meaningful survival benefit, although further prospective studies are required to refine indications and optimize treatment sequencing.

Indexed as

colorectal liver metastasesconversion therapyhepatic arterial infusionliver transplantationradioembolizationsystemic chemotherapytransarterial chemoembolizationunresectable disease

Identifiers

PMID42512000
PMCPMC13404602

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.