Outcome of patients with colorectal liver metastasis: analysis of 1,613 consecutive cases

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the long-time outcome of patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) undergoing different types of therapy and identify prognosis factors.

Methods: From 2000 to 2010, 1,613 consecutive patients with CRLM were identified. Clinicopathological and outcome data were collected and analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: Synchronous liver metastasis (SLM), female, grade III-IV, T4 and N positive of primary tumor, bilobar disease, number of liver metastases ≥ 4, size of largest liver metastases ≥ 5 cm, serum CEA level ≥ 5 ng/ml, and CA19-9 level ≥ 37 u/ml were the predictors of adverse outcome using univariate analysis. The median survival and 5-year survival rate for patients after resection of liver metastases was 49.8 months and 47%, better than that for those after other therapy. In addition, patients without treatment had the poorest survival. Sixty-four initially unresectable patients underwent surgery after conversion therapy with a median survival of 36.9 months and a 5-year survival of 30%. By multivariate analysis, SLM, poorly differentiated primary tumor, number of liver metastases ≥ 4, size of largest liver metastases ≥ 5 cm, and no surgical treatment of liver metastases were found to be independent predictors of poor survival.

Conclusions: Patients with CRLM could get long-term survival benefit from different types of therapy, and resection of liver metastases was the optimal strategy. A predictive model using these above five factors may be of use in stratifying patients who may benefit from intensive surveillance and adjuvant therapy.