When is liver resection recommended for liver metastases?

The surgical team reviews scans to map the number, size and position of deposits, their relationship to blood vessels and bile ducts, and whether disease is present outside the liver. The primary cancer, response to medicines, liver function and other health conditions also shape the plan. Sometimes surgery removes a portion of the liver; in other situations, treatment first may shrink or stabilise deposits before an operation is reconsidered.

Bring reports and a list of medicines, including supplements. Ask whether the proposed operation aims to remove all visible disease, whether another treatment should come first, and how the remaining liver will be assessed. A specialist team may compare resection with ablation, embolisation or systemic treatment, depending on the scan findings.

Contact your oncology team promptly for new yellowing of the skin or eyes, increasing abdominal swelling, persistent vomiting, confusion, severe pain or fever. After surgery, urgent assessment is needed for heavy bleeding, breathlessness, worsening weakness or a wound that becomes increasingly red and painful.

Which liver areas would be removed, and how would this affect liver function? What findings could make surgery unsuitable? Would treatment before surgery change the options? How will recovery, follow-up scans and other treatments be organised?