Virchows Arch (2007) 451:943–948 DOI 10.1007/s00428-007-0497-1
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FOLFOX-4 for colorectal liver metastases: a comparative study Mark M. Aloysius & Abed M. Zaitoun & Ian J. Beckingham & Keith R. Neal & Guruprasad P. Aithal & Eric M. Bessell & Dileep N. Lobo
Received: 8 May 2007 / Accepted: 1 August 2007 / Published online: 6 September 2007 # Springer-Verlag 2007
Abstract FOLFOX-4 (folinic acid/5-fluorouracil/oxaliplatin) chemotherapy is used to treat patients with colorectal liver metastases. We aimed to assess hepatic histopathological responses to neoadjuvant FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy in patients with colorectal liver metastases. We selected all patients (n=54) treated with FOLFOX-4 for colorectal liver metastases between June 2002 and June 2005. Only 25 underwent hepatectomy and formed the study group. Histological responses were assessed in the study group and a matched control group (n=25) that did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The median (IQR) body mass index in the study and control groups was 24 (22–26) and 24 M. M. Aloysius : I. J. Beckingham : D. N. Lobo (*) Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Wolfson Digestive Diseases Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK e-mail:
[email protected] A. M. Zaitoun Department of Pathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK K. R. Neal Department of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK G. P. Aithal Department of Hepatology, Wolfson Digestive Diseases Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK E. M. Bessell Department of Clinical Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
(23–25) kg/m2, respectively, (P = NS). Complete histological resolution of tumour occurred in six (24%) patients in the study group. Median residual tumour cellularity was less (35 vs 70%) and fibrosis greater (50 vs 5%) in patients in the study group when compared with controls (P
