Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been controversial for patients with colorecal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) with resectable disease. Chemotherapy associated liver injury (CALI) may explain the lack of overall survival (OS) benefit in some studies. It remains unclear why CALI severity varies between patients despite receiving the same duration and type of NAC. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with liver disease and could account for these interindividual differences. Within this study we used the APRI + ALBI score, a non-invasive liver function marker that increases in response to CALI development during NAC, to assess whether preoperative liver function affects OS in CRLM patients undergoing hepatectomy and explore the impact of SNPs on CALI development. 551 patients with CRLM undergoing liver surgery after NAC were included. In 149 patients, DNA from histological specimens was genotyped and the presence of SNPs associated with liver disease was assessed. Patients with APRI + ALBI scores (≥-2.46), associated with the development of CALI, showed decreased OS after hepatectomy (median OS APRI + ALBI < -2.46 = 46.1 months; median OS APRI + ALBI ≥ -2.46 = 34.3, p = 0.027). The mutated rs738409 variant on the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) displayed a close association with chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis (p = 0.007) as well as intrahepatic fat (p = 0.004). Additionally, all PNPLA3 homozygotes shifted into the high-risk APRI + ALBI group during NAC. CALI and its effects on liver function not only impact immediate postoperative outcomes but also significantly affect OS in CRLM patients undergoing liver resection. PNPLA3 polymorphism was associated with CALI development. Considering that PNPLA3 polymorphisms are significantly higher in Asian populations, these results could partly explain the heterogeneity in reported effects of NAC in CRLM patients and might improve patient selection. None of the authors received funding related to the writing of this manuscript.

Hepatic resection (HR) and liver transplantation (LT) are curative-intent treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients without cirrhosis are typically analyzed as a single group, obscuring potentially important differences between those with histologically normal liver and those with non-cirrhotic parenchymal disease. We aimed to characterize long-term outcomes following HR stratified by underlying parenchymal quality, with a contemporary LT cohort as an external benchmark. Retrospective cohort study of 662 adults undergoing curative-intent surgery for HCC at 2 tertiary centers (2010–2024). Resection patients (n=380) were stratified by non-tumor parenchymal histology into HR-Normal (n=84), HR-Diseased non-cirrhotic (n=159), and HR-Cirrhotic (n=137). A total of 282 LT recipients served as an external reference but were not entered into comparative models. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression, and recurrence by Fine–Gray competing-risks regression. Ninety-day mortality was low across resection strata (1.2%–3.2%). OS differed significantly across parenchymal groups (log-rank p =0.01), driven by superior outcomes in HR-Normal patients compared with both HR-Cirrhotic ( p =0.008) and HR-Diseased ( p =0.005). HR-Cirrhotic and HR-Diseased did not differ ( p =0.97). Five-year OS was 74.4%, 59.8% and 57.2%, respectively. On multivariable Cox regression, both cirrhosis (HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.16–3.54, p =0.01) and diseased non-cirrhotic parenchyma (HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.21–3.43, p =0.008) independently predicted death versus normal liver. Fine–Gray analysis confirmed higher recurrence risk in cirrhotic (sHR 2.09, p =0.01) and diseased non-cirrhotic (sHR 1.80, p =0.04) groups. The LT benchmark cohort achieved a 5-year OS of 82.4%. Histologically normal liver identifies a distinct HR subgroup with favorable oncologic outcomes. The conventional cirrhotic/non-cirrhotic dichotomy underestimates the prognostic impact of underlying parenchymal disease.

Background: The optimal duration of neoadjuvant therapy for high-risk colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) remains debated. While prolonged chemotherapy may enhance response, it also increases toxicity and risks delaying potentially curative resection. These considerations have raised the question whether a short-course neoadjuvant strategy might achieve sufficient oncologic selection and response while minimizing treatment-related morbidity. Methods: Patients with synchronous or metachronous CRLM who received two cycles of neoadjuvant CAPOX plus bevacizumab followed by curative-intent liver resection treated between 2014 and 2024 at Health Network Vienna, Austria, were included. Clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment tolerability, response assessments (biochemical, radiologic, and pathologic), and survival outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 57 patients were included (65% synchronous, 35% metachronous), with the rectum being the most frequent primary tumor site (45.6%). Most liver lesions were 50% tumor marker reduction. Radiologic assessment showed partial response in 31.6% and complete response in 1.7%. Pathologic evaluation revealed TRG 3 as the most common finding (57.1%), followed by TRG 2 in 22.5%. Subgroup analyses demonstrated significantly improved OS and RFS in patients receiving adjuvant therapy and in those with tumors < 5 cm. Conclusion: A two-cycle, short-course regimen of CAPOX plus bevacizumab proved both effective and safe in high-risk CRLM, achieving meaningful biochemical, radiologic, and pathologic responses with acceptable toxicity. This abbreviated approach allowed delivery of neoadjuvant therapy while limiting cumulative treatment-related toxicity, supporting its feasibility as a neoadjuvant strategy in selected high-risk CRLM patients.