Which laboratory test is crucial for patients with liver metastases before starting chemotherapy?

Liver function tests are essential for patients with liver metastases prior to starting chemotherapy because these tests provide critical information about the liver's ability to process medications, metabolize drugs, and manage the body's waste products. Since the liver plays a central role in drug metabolism, any impairment in liver function can significantly affect how the body responds to chemotherapy.

In patients with liver metastases, it is common for the liver to be compromised, making it crucial to assess the extent of liver dysfunction. Abnormal liver function tests can indicate potential challenges with drug clearance and may necessitate chemotherapy dose adjustments or the selection of alternative treatment options to avoid adverse effects.

While other tests like a complete blood count, electrolyte levels, and coagulation profile provide important information about the overall health of a patient and the body's various systems, they do not specifically gauge the liver's function and its readiness to handle chemotherapy. Therefore, liver function tests are deemed the most pertinent in this scenario.