Hepatic resection improves the prognosis of gastric cancer liver metastasis patients with resected primary lesions

Although patients with gastric cancer liver metastases (GCLM) may achieve survival benefits after radical surgery, there is controversy regarding the surgical indications and choice of surgical methods. This study aims to investigate the impact of hepatic resection (HR) on the prognosis of patients with GCLM who have undergone radical resection of the primary tumor. This study conducted a retrospective analysis of 120 patients with GCLM who have undergone resection of the primary tumor. The patients were divided into an HR group and a non-hepatic resection (NHR) group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was analyzed and patients' prognoses were followed up and compared. The PSM analysis included a total of 88 patients. The HR group had a median overall survival (OS) time of 35.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 30.7-39.3], with 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of 88.0%, 81.5%, and 46.8% respectively. The NHR group had a median OS time of 16.0 months (95% CI: 10.5-21.5), with 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of 56.8%, 30.8%, and 22.4% respectively. The median OS time was statistically different between the two groups. Extrahepatic metastasis (hazard ratio =2.777; 95% CI: 1.598-5.223; P=0.002) and HR (hazard ratio =0.154; 95% CI: 0.040-0.594; P=0.007) were significant factors for OS. In the HR group, laparoscopic surgery (P=0.004) and extrahepatic recurrence (P=0.008) were significant factors for intrahepatic recurrence-free survival (IHRFS). HR can significantly improve the prognosis of GCLM with resected primary tumors. Laparoscopic surgery is preferred as the surgical approach. Patients with extrahepatic recurrence have a shorter IHRFS.