The impact of advancing age on incidence of hepatectomy and post-operative outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases: a population-based cohort study

Nomogram for predicting occurrence and prognosis of liver metastasis in elderly colorectal cancer patients: a population-based study

Introduction

This study aimed to explore independent risk and prognostic factors in elderly patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (ECRLM) and generate nomograms for predicting the occurrence and overall survival (OS) rates of such patients.

Method

Elderly colorectal cancer patients (ECRC) from 2010 to 2015 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were included in this study. External validation relied on Chinese patients from the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify liver metastasis (LM) risk variables, which were used to create a nomogram to estimate LM probabilities in patients with ECRC. Univariate and multivariable Cox analyses were performed to identify prognostic variables and further derive nomograms that could predict the OS of patients with ERCLM. Differences in lifespan were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Finally, the quality of the nomograms was verified using decision curve analysis (DCA), calibration curves, and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC).

Result

In the SEER cohort, 32,330 patients were selected, of those, 3,012 (9.32%) were diagnosed with LM. A total of 188 ECRLM cases from a Chinese medical center were assigned for external validation. LM occurrence can be affected by 13 factors, including age at diagnosis, marital status, race, bone metastases, lung metastases, CEA level, tumor size, Grade, histology, primary site, T stage, N stage and sex. Furthermore, in ECRLM patients, 10 variables, including age at diagnosis, CEA level, tumor size, lung metastasis, bone metastasis, chemotherapy, surgery, N stage, grade, and race, have been shown to be independent prognostic predictors. The results from both internal and external validation revealed a high level of accuracy in predicting outcomes, as well as significant clinical utility, for the two nomograms.

Conclusion

We created two nomograms to predict the occurrence and prognosis of LM in patients with ECRC, which would contribute significantly to the improvement in disease detection accuracy and the formulation of personalized cures for that particular demographic.

Prognostic Factors in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer Patients With Resection of Liver and/or Pulmonary Metastases: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Importance

Currently, surgical resection of distant metastatic lesions has become the preferred treatment for select colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with liver metastasis (LM) and/or pulmonary metastasis (PM). Metastasectomy is the most common curative method. However, evidence of the factors affecting the prognosis of CRC patients after resection of LM and/or PM is still insufficient.

Objective

To explore the prognostic factors of CRC patients with LM and/or PM who have undergone resection of metastatic tumors and to provide reliable selection factors for surgical treatment in patients affected by LM and/or PM from CRC.

Methods

The SEER database was used to identify eligible CRC LM and/or PM patients who underwent resection of the primary tumor and distant metastases from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2018. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival, and comparisons were performed using the log-rank test for univariate analysis. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify prognostic factors for the multivariate analysis. The outcomes included overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Results

A total of 3,003 eligible colorectal cancer patients with LM and/or PM were included in this study. The 3-year and 5-year OS rates were 53% and 33.6%, respectively, and the 3-year and 5-year CSS rates were 54.2% and 35.3%, respectively. In the adjusted multivariate analysis, age < 65 years (OS: p=0.002, CSS: p=0.002) was associated with better long-term outcomes, and primary tumors located on the left side of the colon (OS: p=0.004, CSS: p=0.006) or rectum (OS: p=0.004, CSS: p=0.006), T3 stage (OS: p<0.001, CSS: p<0.001), number of regional lymph nodes examined ≥ 12 (OS: p<0.001, CSS: p=0.001), and CRC LM (OS: p<0.001, CSS: p<0.001) were positive prognostic factors for survival after resection of metastatic tumors.

Conclusion

Age < 65 years is associated with better long-term outcomes in colorectal cancer patients with LM and/or PM, analogously to the left sided primary tumor, T3 stage, number of regional lymph nodes examined ≥ 12 and liver metastases.

Short-term postoperative outcomes after liver resection in the elderly patient: a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

Liver resection is high-risk surgery in particular in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to explore postoperative outcomes after liver resection in elderly patients.

METHODS

In this nationwide study, all patients who underwent liver resection for primary and secondary liver tumours in the Netherlands between 2014 and 2019 were included. Age groups were composed as younger than 70 (70-), between 70 and 80 (septuagenarians), and 80 years or older (octogenarians). Proportion of liver resections per age group and 30-day major morbidity and 30-day mortality were assessed.

RESULTS

In total, 6587 patients were included of whom 4023 (58.9%) were younger than 70, 2135 (32.4%) were septuagenarians and 429 (6.5%) were octogenarians. The proportion of septuagenarians increased during the study period (aOR:1.06, CI:1.02-1.09, p < 0.001). Thirty-day major morbidity was higher in septuagenarians (11%) and octogenarians (12%) compared to younger patients (9%, p = 0.049). Thirty-day mortality was higher in septuagenarians (4%) and octogenarians (4%) compared to younger patients (2%, p < 0.001). Cardiopulmonary complications occurred more frequently with higher age, liver-specific complications did not. Higher age was associated with higher 30-day morbidity and 30-day mortality in multivariable logistic regression.

CONCLUSION

Thirty-day major morbidity and 30-day mortality are higher after liver resection in elderly patients, attributed mainly to non-surgical cardiopulmonary complications.

Systematic Review of Treatments for Colorectal Metastases in Elderly Patients to Guide Surveillance Cessation Following Hepatic Resection for Colorectal Liver Metastases

BACKGROUND

Although included in surveillance programmes for colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases, elderly patients are susceptible to declines in health and quality of life that may render them unsuitable for further surveillance. Deciding when to cease surveillance is challenging.

METHODS

There are no publications focused on surveillance of elderly patients for CRC metastases. A systematic review of studies reporting treatment outcomes for CRC metastases in elderly patients was performed to assess the risk-benefit balance of the key objectives of surveillance; detecting and treating CRC metastases.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight eligible studies reported outcomes for surgery and chemotherapy in the elderly. Liver resections and use of chemotherapy, including biologics, are more conservative and have poorer outcomes in the elderly compared with younger patients. Selected studies demonstrated poorer quality-of-life (QoL) following surgery and chemotherapy. Studies of ablation in elderly patients are limited.

DISCUSSION

The survival benefit of treating CRC metastases with surgery or chemotherapy decreases with advancing age and QoL may decline in the elderly. The relatively lower efficacy and detrimental QoL impact of multimodal therapy options for detected CRC metastases in the elderly questions the benefit of surveillance in some elderly patients. Care of elderly patients should thus be customized based on their preference, formal geriatric assessment, natural life-expectancy, and the perceived risk-benefit balance of treating recurrent CRC metastases. Clinicians may consider surveillance cessation in patients aged 75 years and above if geriatric assessment is unsatisfactory, patients decline surveillance, or patient fitness deteriorates catastrophically.

Meta-analysis of the association between primary tumour location and prognosis after surgical resection of colorectal liver metastases

BACKGROUND

Primary tumour location is emerging as an important prognostic factor in localized and metastatic colorectal cancers. However, its prognostic role in colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) after hepatectomy remains controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken to evaluate its prognostic value.

METHODS

References were identified through searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library comparing overall or disease-free survival after hepatic resection between patients with CRLM originating from right- or left-sided colorectal cancers. Data were pooled using hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 per cent confidence intervals according to a random-effects model. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the effect of underlying confounding factors on HR estimates and to adjust for this.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 21 953 patients from 45 study cohorts. Compared with left-sided primary tumour location, right-sided location was associated with worse overall survival (HR 1·39, 95 per cent c.i. 1·28 to 1·51; P < 0·001; prediction interval 1·00 to 1·93), and also tended to have a negative impact on disease-free survival (HR 1·18, 1·06 to 1·32; P = 0·004; prediction interval 0·79 to 1·75). Subgroup analysis showed that the negative effect of right-sided primary tumour location on overall survival was more prominent in the non-Asian population (HR 1·47, 1·33 to 1·62) than the Asian population (HR 1·18, 1·05 to 1·32) (P for interaction <0·01).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated a prognostic role for primary tumour location in patients with CRLM receiving hepatectomy, especially regarding overall survival. Adding primary tumour location may provide important optimization of prognosis prediction models for CRLM in current use.