Approximately half of patients with colorectal cancer present with liver metastases during the course of their disease, which directly affect prognosis and is responsible for two thirds of deaths related to the disease. In the last two decades the treatment of liver metastases from colorectal cancer (CRCLM) provided significant gain in survival when all treatment options are available to the patient. In this context, surgical treatment remains as the only chance of cure, with five-year survival rates of 25-58%. However, only 1/4 of the patients have resectable disease at diagnosis. For this reason, one of the key points in the current management of patients with CRCLM is the development of strategies that facilitate complete resection of liver lesions. The advent and refinement of ablative methods have expanded the possibilities of surgical therapy. The emergence of new chemotherapy regimens and the introduction of targeted therapies has provided high response rates and has permanently altered the management of these patients. The multimodal therapy and the involvement of different medical specialties has increasingly enabled CRCLM treatment to approached the ideal treatment, i.e., an individualized one. Based on an extensive review of literature and on experience from some of the most important specialized centers of Brazil, the São Paulo Liver Club began a process of multi-institutional discussions that resulted in the recommendations that follow. These recommendations, however, are not intended to be absolute, but useful tools in the therapeutic decision process for this complex group of patients.
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