Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and remains a leading cause of cancer-related death. Nearly half of all patients with colorectal cancer will develop liver metastases during the course of their disease, making the liver the most frequent site of metastatic spread and one of the principal determinants of survival. Although liver resection remains the standard potentially curative treatment, many patients are not eligible for surgery or experience disease recurrence despite significant advances in systemic therapies and surgical techniques. In recent years, liver transplantation has emerged as a promising therapeutic option for selected patients with colorectal liver metastases, offering encouraging survival outcomes that have challenged long-standing assumptions within oncology and transplantation medicine.
To address the remaining scientific and clinical questions surrounding this innovative approach, IKEM is proud to participate in LiT-Met (Liver Transplantation for Colorectal Liver Metastases: An International Real-Life Analysis of Post-Transplant Outcomes), a Horizon Europe Cancer Mission project coordinated by the University of Bologna.
LiT-Met brings together leading European universities, hospitals, research institutes, scientific societies, patient organisations and innovation partners to generate the evidence needed to determine the role of liver transplantation in the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.
During the five-year project, the consortium will work together to:
- generate robust clinical evidence comparing liver transplantation and conventional liver surgery;
- identify biomarkers capable of improving patient selection;
- develop artificial intelligence tools that support personalised clinical decision-making;
- evaluate patient-reported outcomes and quality of life;
- assess the economic sustainability of liver transplantation across European healthcare systems;
- contribute to future European clinical guidelines and health policy recommendations.
Through this multidisciplinary collaboration, LiT-Met seeks to improve survival, quality of life and treatment opportunities for patients with colorectal liver metastases while supporting more personalised, evidence-based and equitable cancer care across Europe.
Follow the LiT-Met project through its official communication channels (LinkedIn), to stay informed about project developments, scientific advances and upcoming events.
