Liver metastases

If you have (had) colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, or skin cancer, you may develop metastases in the liver. Approximately 50% of colorectal cancer patients will develop these metastases. We may discover them together with the primary tumor, but they may also develop months, of not years after your treatment.

Find out more about the causes and symptoms, and the most commonly used diagnostic tests and treatment types for liver metastases on this page.

The Netherlands Cancer Institute offers rapid diagnostics for treatment and second opinion evaluations.

For liver metastases, the rapid diagnostics will mean that all required diagnostic tests (such as CT, PET, or MRI scans) will be done in a single day, in the morning. At the end of the morning, all test results will be discussed in a multidisciplinary team in order to come up with a treatment plan. Early afternoon, you will meet with one of our medical specialists from the liver team (usually a surgeon or medical oncologist) to discuss your treatment plan. If you choose to have your treatment at the NKI, you and the specialist can also take this time to come up with a treatment plan.