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News
Liver transplantation is emerging as a viable option for patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver and can't be surgically removed. A U.S. study of 203 carefully selected patients found 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 90.9%, 69.8%, and 48.9%, respectively. Experts stress that patient selection and cancer control — not graft failure — are the keys to long-term success.
Liver transplantation is moving from experimental to specialized treatment for a narrow group of colorectal cancer patients whose liver metastases can't be surgically removed. A study presented at the ACG Annual Meeting analyzed data from 203 carefully selected U.S. patients who received liver transplants between 2017 and 2025, finding encouraging short- and intermediate-term outcomes.
The patients were highly selected — most had excellent functional status, low MELD scores, and were privately insured. Graft failure was rare, accounting for just 3% of deaths, while malignancy recurrence drove nearly half of all deaths, underscoring that oncologic control is the real long-term challenge.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: For patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases — a group with very limited options — liver transplantation could offer a meaningful survival benefit. Clinicians are urged to identify eligible patients early and involve oncology, hepatobiliary surgery, and transplant hepatology teams in decision-making.
