Transplantation of the liver for metastatic endocrine tumors of the intestine and pancreas

In the Pittsburgh series of 1,000 orthotopic liver transplants (OLTx), from January 1981 to July 1987, the indication for transplantation in five patients consisted of unresectable hepatic metastases arising from endocrine tumors of gastrointestinal origin: glucagonoma, two patients; carcinoid, two, and gastrinoma, one patient. Three patients underwent resection of the primary tumor (two distal pancreatectomies and one ileal resection) at the time of the hepatic transplantation. All patients underwent extensive nodal dissection. Three of the five patients are alive with no evidence of residual disease after a median follow-up study of 12 months. Hepatic transplantation broadens the concept of radical excision of tumor and may be considered as a potential therapeutic approach for some highly selected instances of unresectable hepatic metastases arising from endocrine tumors of the intestine and pancreas.