PROJECT / THE RESEARCH
Turning evidence into more personalised care.
LiT-Met will evaluate liver transplantation as a treatment strategy for selected patients with potentially resectable colorectal liver metastases. Beyond the assessment of clinical efficacy, the project aims to support more personalised treatment decisions by integrating multimodal data and developing an AI-enabled clinical decision support system. Complementary biological, economic, equity, and quality-of-life research and data will generate evidence to inform future clinical guidelines, healthcare policy and practice.
THE CLINICAL QUESTION
Two approaches.
Better-informed choices.
Colorectal liver metastases occur when colorectal cancer spreads to the liver. For some people, surgery to remove the affected part of the liver — called liver resection — can be an option.
LiT-Met focuses on carefully selected patients with borderline resectable disease. The project compares complex liver resection with liver transplantation, in which the liver is replaced with a donor organ.
The aim is to understand who may benefit from transplantation, under which conditions, and with what impact on long-term health and quality of life.
SIX CONNECTED OBJECTIVES
A fuller picture of treatment and its impact.
Build stronger clinical evidence
Compare liver transplantation and complex liver resection, following survival, recurrence and long-term outcomes.
Predict outcomes more accurately
Explore AI models that bring clinical, pathological and molecular information together to support prognosis.
Understand the biology
Study tumour and blood biomarkers to better understand disease behaviour and recurrence.
Support personalised decisions
Combine imaging and biological insights in a clinical decision support system designed for healthcare professionals.
Assess value for health systems
Investigate the costs, resource use and potential cost-effectiveness of different treatment pathways.
Make patient priorities visible
Measure quality of life and patient-reported outcomes, while examining barriers to equitable care.
LiT-Met aims to answer three key questions
Clinical Track
From retrospective evidence to prospective validation: building the clinical case for liver transplantation in CRLM.
Translational Track
Ex vivo organ perfusion to decode the biology of CRLM and test novel therapeutic interventions.
Social & Policy Track
Ensuring equitable access, embedding the patient perspective, and translating evidence into European health policy.
THE WORK PROGRAMME
Nine work packages. One connected programme.
From clinical evidence to practical use, each work package contributes a different piece of the same question.
WORK PACKAGE 01
Coordination & management
Connecting the consortium, safeguarding research quality and supporting the delivery of the programme.
WORK PACKAGE 02
European clinical evidence
Bringing together harmonised, anonymised clinical information to study survival, recurrence and treatment outcomes.
WORK PACKAGE 03
AI for clinical decisions
Developing and testing models that estimate outcomes and explore potential treatment benefit.
WORK PACKAGE 04
Prospective clinical studies
Comparing transplantation with complex resection through randomised and cohort studies, with long-term follow-up.
WORK PACKAGE 05
Cost-effectiveness
Understanding how treatment choices affect resource use, costs and the sustainability of care.
WORK PACKAGE 06
Biology beyond the clinic
Using ex vivo liver perfusion to investigate tumour behaviour and new research approaches.
WORK PACKAGE 07
Access & equity
Examining geographical, patient-related and health-system differences that may influence access to treatment.
WORK PACKAGE 08
Patient-reported outcomes
Capturing physical, emotional and social wellbeing alongside clinical measures of success.
WORK PACKAGE 09
Communication & impact
Sharing knowledge, engaging stakeholders and supporting the future use of research findings.
THE CHANGE WE WORK TOWARDS
Research with a purpose beyond the study.
For patients: a clearer understanding of treatment options and their impact on everyday life.
For clinical teams: stronger evidence and tools to support more personalised decisions.
For health systems: insights into value, access and sustainable care across Europe.
2026–2031
Follow the research as it develops.
LiT-Met runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031. As the project progresses, public outputs and research updates will be shared through our Media page.
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