Background: Resection of breast cancer liver metastases (BCLM) combined with systemic treatment is increasingly accepted as a therapeutic option; however, the potential benefit of repeat hepatectomy for recurrent BCLM is unknown.
Methods: All consecutive female patients who underwent liver resection for BCLM at our center between January 1985 and December 2012 were included. Patients who had a single hepatectomy (N = 120) were compared with those who also underwent repeat hepatectomy (N = 19). Patients were selected for repeat hepatectomy based on operability and disease control. Prognostic factors of survival after repeat hepatectomy were determined.
Results: Median overall survival since first hepatectomy was 35 months, with a 3- and 5-year survival rate of 50 and 38 %, respectively. Overall survival following repeat hepatectomy was 64 and 46 % at 3 and 5 years, respectively. From the time of first hepatectomy, patients who underwent repeat hepatectomy had a better survival than those who had only one hepatectomy (95 and 84 vs. 50 and 38 % at 3 and 5 years, respectively) (p = 0.002). Median survival was 35 and 100 months, respectively, and median survival since the diagnosis of BCLM was 51 and 112 months in the single and repeat hepatectomy groups, respectively. Since the time of diagnosis, overall 3-, 5-, and 7-year survival rates were 75, 57, and 44 %, respectively, for all 139 patients. Improved overall survival after repeat hepatectomy was related to a time interval between breast cancer diagnosis and first hepatectomy of >2 years, a limited hepatectomy, solitary liver metastasis, positive progesterone receptor status, and chemotherapy following repeat hepatectomy. Patients with single BCLM at first hepatectomy had a 3- and 5-year overall survival rate of 76 and 76 % compared with 51 and 17 % in patients with multiple metastases (p = 0.023).
Conclusion: In selected patients with BCLM, repeat hepatectomy for liver recurrence combined with systemic treatment provided survival rates comparable to those after first hepatectomy.