Routine lymphadenectomy in patients undergoing hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases may improve outcome of further patients due to the presence of micrometastases that have been shown to be of prognostic relevance. While previous studies highlight the clinical significance of perihepatic lymph node metastases, the outcome of patients with and without hilar lymphadenectomy has not yet been compared and thus no clear conclusion about the clinical value of routine hilar lymphadenectomy in CRC patients undergoing resection of liver metastases can be drawn from present data.
As disease recurrence occurs frequently and may affect up to 75 % of patients, further strategies are required to improve postoperative outcome. Routine hilar lymphadenectomy may offer an effective approach to remove residual disease and by this to reduce disease recurrence with little additional morbidity. For this reason it is the aim of the present prospective randomized trial to evaluate, if routine lymphadenectomy reduces recurrent disease in patients undergoing resection of colorectal liver metastases.
