Limits of colorectal liver metastases resectability: how and why to overcome them? For progress in cancer research.

Offering surgery is to date the best case scenario for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Few oncological topics have progressed as much as the treatment of CRLM. New surgical techniques, conversion therapies, and imaging allow us to pursue the ultimate limit for surgery of CLM before compromising patient benefits. Pushing the limits of surgery involves pushing the limits of conversion therapies too, increasingly taking risks in the surgical process. Finally, toxicities add up and the patient benefit could disappear. The apparent paradox of efficiency and toxicity might be addressed by separating the two treatment targets: (1) The metastatic burden for which a clear escalation in medical and surgical aggressiveness is still required. (2) The healthy parenchyma which should be preserved as much as possible and for which a clear de-escalation is anticipated. A new strategy exists that integrates both fundamental endpoints in the battle against CLM.