Surgery for colorectal liver metastases

The impact of metastatic sites on survival Rates and predictors of extended survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the role of site-specific metastatic patterns over time and assess factors associated with extended survival in metastatic PDAC. Half of all patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) present with metastatic disease. The site of metastasis plays a crucial role in clinical decision making due to its prognostic value.

METHODS

We examined 56,757 stage-IV PDAC patients from the National Cancer Database (2016-2019), categorizing them by metastatic site: multiple, liver, lung, brain, bone, carcinomatosis, or other. The site-specific prognostic value was assessed using log-rank tests while time-varying effects were assessed by Aalen's linear hazards model. Factors associated with extended survival (>3years) were assessed with logistic regression.

RESULTS

Median overall survival (mOS) in patients with distant lymph node-only metastases (9.0 months) and lung-only metastases (8.1 months) was significantly longer than in patients with liver-only metastases (4.6 months, p < 0.001). However, after six months, the metastatic site lost prognostic value. Logistic regression identified extended survivors (3.6 %) as more likely to be younger, Hispanic, privately insured, Charlson-index <2, having received chemotherapy, or having undergone primary or distant site surgery (all p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

While synchronous liver metastases are associated with worse outcomes than lung-only and lymph node-only metastases, this predictive value is diminished after six months. Therefore, treatment decisions beyond this time should not primarily depend on the metastatic site. Extended survival is possible in a small subset of patients with favorable tumor biology and good conditional status, who are more likely to undergo aggressive therapies.

Prognostic factors of para-aortic lymph node metastasis from colorectal cancer in highly selected patients undergoing para-aortic lymph node dissection

PURPOSE

We investigated the surgical outcomes of para-aortic lymph node (PALN) dissection in patients with colorectal cancer and assessed the prognostic factors related to the survival.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study included 31 patients with synchronous or metachronous PALN metastasis from colorectal cancer who underwent PALN dissection between January 2006 and December 2018.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients had synchronous PALN metastasis, and 10 had metachronous PALN metastasis. Seven patients had either simultaneous distant metastasis or a history of distant metastasis other than PALN metastasis at the time of PALN dissection. Eighteen patients underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-year overall and recurrence-free survival rates were 54.2 and 17.2%, respectively. A multivariable analysis revealed that rectal cancer, metachronous PALN metastasis, and three or more pathological PALN metastases were significantly poor prognostic factors for the recurrence-free survival. Among patients with rectal cancer, lower rectal cancer and lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis were poor prognostic factors for the overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Curative PALN dissection for PALN metastasis from colorectal cancer is feasible with favorable long-term outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach, including surgery and chemotherapy, is needed for colorectal cancer with PALN metastasis to improve the long-term outcomes.

The tendency of segmental distribution of hepatic metastasis according to couinaud classification: a comparison of portal versus systemic route of metastatis due to primary colorectal and breast tumors

Objective

The liver is the commonest site of metastatic disease for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), with at least 25% of patients developing liver metastasis (LM) during their illness. About 50% of patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer develop LM, and 5-12% of these patients develop LM as the main site of breast cancer recurrence. This study aims to determine the frequency of segmental distribution of LM seeding from portal versus systemic routes of dissemination due to primary CRC and breast carcinoma, respectively.

Material and methods

This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Pakistan. Ethical approval was taken from the institutional review board. A total of 587 patients were included in the study with 297 CRC patients with LM and 300 breast carcinoma patients with LM. Segment I involvement was excluded from the calculation because of the dual blood supply. Patients' detailed demographics and other information were collected on a predesigned proforma. The authors evaluated axial and multiplanar reformatted computed tomography images for LM and CRC metastasis. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25. P value less than or equal to 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A study population of 587 patients was employed that comprised 287 CRC and 300 breast carcinoma patients. There were 179 (30.5%) male and 408 (69.5%) female patients. The mean age of patients was 54.9±13.3. The study revealed that 204 (34.8%) CRC patients showed right lobe (V, VI, VII, VIII) and 83 (14.1%) CRC patients showed left lobe involvement of metastasis while 192 (32.7%) breast carcinoma patients showed right lobe involvement and 108 (18.4%) breast carcinoma patients showed left lobe involvement in metastasis (P=0.02). We also found 40 (6.8%) colorectal and 55 (9.4%) breast carcinoma patients showed left lateral segment (II, III) involvement. Medial segment involvement (IV) was seen in 43 (7.3%) CRC patients and 53 (9%) breast carcinoma patients (P=0.03).

Conclusion

The right hepatic lobe is the predominant site of metastasis independent of the portal or systemic route of dissemination in primary carcinoma. Moreover, in left lobe metastasis medial segment (IV) is more affected in CRC while the lateral segment (II, III) is more affected in breast carcinoma.

Value of sarcopenia in the resection of colorectal liver metastases-a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Sarcopenia is defined as a decline in muscle function as well as muscle mass. Sarcopenia itself and sarcopenic obesity, defined as sarcopenia in obese patients, have been used as surrogates for a worse prognosis in colorectal cancer. This review aims to determine if there is evidence for sarcopenia as a prognostic parameter in colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and CINAHL databases were searched for articles that were selected in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). A random effects meta-analysis was conducted.

Results

After eliminating duplicates and screening abstracts (n = 111), 949 studies were screened, and 33 publications met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 15 were selected after close paper review, and 10 were incorporated into the meta-analysis, which comprised 825 patients. No significant influence of sarcopenia for OS (odds ratio (OR), 2.802 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.094-1.11); p = 0.4) or DFS (OR, 1.203 (95% CI, 1.162-1.208); p = 0.5) was found, although a trend was defined toward sarcopenia. Sarcopenia significantly influenced postoperative complication rates (OR, 7.905 (95% CI, 1.876-3.32); p = 0.001) in two studies where data were available.

Conclusion

Existing evidence on the influence of sarcopenia on postoperative OS as well as DFS in patients undergoing resection for CRLM exists. We were not able to confirm that sarcopenic patients have a significantly worse OS and DFS in our analysis, although a trend toward this hypothesis was visible. Sarcopenia seems to influence complication rates but prospective studies are needed.

Economic evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI and CE-CT in selection of colorectal liver metastases eligible for ablation – A cost-effectiveness analysis

OBJECTIVES

Colorectal cancers (CRC) are among the world's most prevailing cancer entities. In a third of all cases, the patients have already developed distant metastases - mainly in the liver - at the time of detection. Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) can be treated by surgical resection or, as is possible in most cases, by percutaneous ablation. For selecting the liver metastases eligible for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation (MWA), the common imaging modalities are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT). This study aims to evaluate those imaging modalities for selecting liver lesions eligible for ablation according to their long-term cost-effectiveness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Markov model was applied, calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and accumulative costs for every diagnostic strategy, according to predefined input parameters obtained from published research. Further, sensitivity analyses were executed to prove the certainty of the calculations by running Monte-Carlo simulations with 30,000 reiterations. The Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is at $ 100,000. All calculations are based on the U.S. healthcare system.

RESULTS

CE-CT caused cumulative costs of $ 31,940.98 and 8,99 QALYs, whereas MRI caused $ 32,070.83 and 9,01 QALYs. PET/CT caused cumulative costs of $ 33,013.21 and 8,99 QALYs.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, according to our analysis, MRI is the most cost-effective strategy for detecting liver metastases eligible for ablation and therefore should be seen as the gold standard.

Prediction of Local Tumor Progression After Microwave Ablation in Colorectal Carcinoma Liver Metastases Patients by MRI Radiomics and Clinical Characteristics-Based Combined Model: Preliminary Results

PURPOSE

To investigate the predictability of local tumor progression (LTP) after microwave ablation (MWA) in colorectal carcinoma liver metastases (CRLM) patients by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics and clinical characteristics-based combined model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two consecutive CRLM patients (67 tumors) with post-MWA complete response at 1st month MRI were included in this retrospective study. One hundred and eleven radiomics features were extracted for each tumor and for each phase by manual segmentation from pre-treatment MRI T2 fat-suppressed (Phase 2) and early arterial phase T1 fat-suppressed sequences (Phase 1). A clinical model was constructed using clinical data, two combined models were created with feature reduction and machine learning by combining clinical data and Phase 2 and Phase 1 radiomics features. The predicting performance for LTP development was investigated.

RESULTS

LTP developed in 7 patients (16.6%) and 11 tumors (16.4%). In the clinical model, the presence of extrahepatic metastases before MWA was associated with a high probability of LTP (p < 0.001). The pre-treatment levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen were higher in the LTP group (p = 0.010, p = 0.020, respectively). Patients with LTP had statistically significantly higher radiomics scores in both phases (p < 0.001 for Phase 2 and p = 0.001 for Phase 1). The classification performance of the combined model 2, created by using clinical data and Phase 2-based radiomics features, achieved the highest discriminative performance in predicting LTP (p = 0,014; the area under curve (AUC) value 0.981 (95% CI 0.948-0.990). The combined model 1, created using clinical data and Phase 1-based radiomics features (AUC value 0,927 (95% CI 0.860-0.993, p < 0.001)) and the clinical model alone [AUC value of 0.887 (95% CI 0.807-0.967, p < 0.001)] had similar performance.

CONCLUSION

Combined models based on clinical data and radiomics features obtained from T2 fat-suppressed and early arterial-phase T1 fat-suppressed MRI are valuable markers in predicting LTP after MWA in CRLM patients. Large-scale studies with internal and external validations are needed to come to a firm conclusion on the predictability of radiomics models in CRLM patients.

The Impact of KRAS Status on the Required Surgical Margin Width for Colorectal Liver Metastasis Resection

Local recurrence after colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) resection severely affects survival; however, the required surgical margin width remains controversial. This study investigated the impact of KRAS status on surgical margin width and local recurrence rate (LRR) post-CRLM resection. Overall, 146 resected CRLMs with KRAS status (wild-type KRAS (wtKRAS): 98, KRAS mutant (mKRAS): 48) were included. The LRR for each group, R1 (margin positive) and R0 (margin negative), was analyzed by KRAS status. R0 was further stratified into Ra (margin ≥ 5 mm) and Rb (margin < 5 mm). Patients with local recurrence had significantly worse 5-year overall survival than those without local recurrence (p = 0.0036). The mKRAS LRR was significantly higher than wtKRAS LRR (p = 0.0145). R1 resection resulted in significantly higher LRRs than R0 resection for both wtKRAS and mKRAS (p = 0.0068 and p = 0.0204, respectively), and while no significant difference was observed in the Ra and Rb LRR with wtKRAS, the Rb LRR with mKRAS (33.3%) was significantly higher than Ra LRR (5.9%) (p = 0.0289). Thus, R0 resection is sufficient for CRLM with wtKRAS; however, CRLM with mKRAS requires resection with a margin of at least 5 mm to prevent local recurrence.

Survival outcomes after synchronous para-aortic lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Synchronous para-aortic lymph node metastasis (PALNM) in colorectal cancer (CRC) is a relatively rare clinical entity. There is a lack of consensus on management of these patients, and the role of para-aortic lymph node dissection (PALND) remains controversial. This systematic review aims to describe the survival outcomes in colorectal cancer with synchronous PALNM when lymph node dissection is performed.

METHODS

A systematic review of Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science databases for PALND in CRC was performed. Studies including patients with synchronous PALNM undergoing resection with curative intent, published from the year 2000 onwards, were included.

RESULTS

Twelve retrospective studies were included. Four studies reported survival outcomes for rectal cancer, two for colon cancer and six as colorectal. Survival outcomes for 356 patients were included. Average 5-year overall survival (OS) was 22.4%, 33.9% and 37.7% in the rectal, colon and colorectal groups respectively. Three year OS in the groups was 53.6%, 46.2% and 65.7%.

CONCLUSION

There remains a lack of quality data to confidently make recommendations regarding the management of synchronous PALNM in colon and rectal cancer cohorts. Retrospective data suggests a benefit in highly selective cohorts and therefore a case-by-case evaluation remains the standard of care.

A population-based study of synchronous distant metastases and prognosis in patients with PDAC at initial diagnosis

Objective

Cancer of the pancreas is a life-threatening condition and has a high distant metastasis (DM) rate of over 50% at diagnosis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether patterns of distant metastases correlated with prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with metastatic spread, and build a novel nomogram capable of predicting the 6, 12, 18-month survival rate with high accuracy.

Methods

We analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for cases of PDAC with DM. Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank tests and Cox-regression proportional hazards model were used to assess the impact of site and number of DM on the cancer-specific survival (CSS) and over survival (OS). A total of 2709 patients with DM were randomly assigned to the training group and validation group in a 7:3 ratio. A nomogram was constructed by the dependent risk factors which were determined by multivariate Cox-regression analysis. An assessment of the discrimination and ability of the prediction model was made by measuring AUC, C-index, calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). In addition, we collected 98 patients with distant metastases at the time of initial diagnosis from Ningbo University Affiliated LiHuili Hospital to verify the efficacy of the prediction model.

Results

There was a highest incidence of liver metastases from pancreatic cancer (2387,74.36%), followed by lung (625,19.47%), bone (190,5.92%), and brain (8,0.25%). The prognosis of liver metastases differed from that of lung metastases, and the presence of multiple organ metastases was associated with poorer prognosis. According to univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses, seven factors (i.e., diagnosis age, tumor location, grade of tumor differentiation, T-stage, receipt of surgery, receipt of chemotherapy status, presence of multiple organ metastases) were included in our nomogram model. In internal and external validation, the ROC curves, C-index, calibration curves and DCA were calculated, which confirmed that this nomogram can precisely predict prognosis of PDAC with DM.

Conclusion

Metastatic PDAC patients with liver metastases tended to have a worse prognosis than those with lung metastases. The number of DM had significant effect on the overall survival rate of metastatic PDAC. This study had a high prediction accuracy, which was helpful clinicians to analyze the prognosis of PDAC with DM and implement individualized diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable colorectal liver metastasis with intermediate risk of postoperative recurrence: A multi‐institutional retrospective study

Aims

Risk-scoring systems for colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) after hepatectomy allow prognoses to be predicted preoperatively. We investigated the clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable CRLM according to patient risk status, aiming to determine the subgroup of patients who could benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

In this multi-institutional retrospective analysis, the preoperative risk score was calculated from six previously reported factors: synchronous metastases, primary lymph node positivity, tumor number, largest tumor diameter, extrahepatic metastasis, and the preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level. Patients were divided into three groups according to their risk scores: low risk (score = 0), intermediate risk (score 1-10), and high risk (score ≥11). Overall and recurrence-free survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. After propensity-score matching in the intermediate-risk group, we compared clinicopathological features and outcomes.

Results

There were 318 cases, from 20 institutions. The preoperative risk score could be calculated in 277 cases. There were 34, 192, and 51 patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively. Intermediate-risk group patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy had significantly better recurrence-free survival than that of patients without neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = .0453). After propensity-score matching in the intermediate-risk group, the recurrence-free survival rate was better in patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = .0261). But the overall survival rate was not improved after the matching.

Conclusion

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable CRLM might prolong the recurrence-free survival period for intermediate-risk patients with preoperative risk scores in the range of 1-10, but the overall survival was not improved by neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Accurate Prediction of Metachronous Liver Metastasis in Stage I-III Colorectal Cancer Patients Using Deep Learning With Digital Pathological Images

Objectives

Metachronous liver metastasis (LM) significantly impacts the prognosis of stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. An effective biomarker to predict LM after surgery is urgently needed. We aimed to develop deep learning-based models to assist in predicting LM in stage I-III CRC patients using digital pathological images.

Methods

Six-hundred eleven patients were retrospectively included in the study and randomly divided into training (428 patients) and validation (183 patients) cohorts according to the 7:3 ratio. Digital HE images from training cohort patients were used to construct the LM risk score based on a 50-layer residual convolutional neural network (ResNet-50). An LM prediction model was established by multivariable Cox analysis and confirmed in the validation cohort. The performance of the integrated nomogram was assessed with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical application value.

Results

Patients were divided into low- and high-LM risk score groups according to the cutoff value and significant differences were observed in the LM of the different risk score groups in the training and validation cohorts (P&lt;0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that the LM risk score, VELIPI, pT stage and pN stage were independent predictors of LM. Then, the prediction model was developed and presented as a nomogram to predict the 1-, 2-, and 3-year probability of LM. The integrated nomogram achieved satisfactory discrimination, with C-indexes of 0.807 (95% CI: 0.787, 0.827) and 0.812 (95% CI: 0.773, 0.850) and AUCs of 0.840 (95% CI: 0.795, 0.885) and 0.848 (95% CI: 0.766, 0.931) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Favorable calibration of the nomogram was confirmed in the training and validation cohorts. Integrated discrimination improvement and net reclassification index indicated that the integrated nomogram was superior to the traditional clinicopathological model. Decision curve analysis confirmed that the nomogram has clinical application value.

Conclusions

The LM risk score based on ResNet-50 and digital HE images was significantly associated with LM. The integrated nomogram could identify stage I-III CRC patients at high risk of LM after primary colectomy, so it may serve as a potential tool to choose the appropriate treatment to improve the prognosis of stage I-III CRC patients.

Predicting Distant Metastasis in Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer After Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Background

Although overall colorectal cancer (CRC) cases have been declining worldwide, there has been an increase in the incidence of the CRC among individuals younger than 50 years old, which is associated with distant metastasis (DM) and poor prognosis.

Methods

Young-onset CRC patients' postoperative data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between January 2010 and December 2015. Data from the SEER database were divided into early stage and advanced stage according to whether chemoradiotherapy was recommended in the guidelines. Independent risk factors for DM were explored by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression separately. A predictive model was established and presented as nomogram in the training set of advanced stage. The model was internally verified in testing set and externally validated in a cohort of 145 patients from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. The accuracy, reliability, and clinical application value were assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively. Different risk subgroups of DM were classified according to the scores of the nomogram in the training set of advanced stage.

Results

A total of 5,584 patients were eligible and enrolled in our study in which 1,277 were in early stage and 4,307 in advanced stage. Preoperative CEA positive was found to be an independent predictor of DM in early stage. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size, degree of differentiation, T stage, N stage, preoperative CEA, and whether radiation or chemotherapy performed were independent risk factors for DM (all, p < 0.05) in advanced stage. Great accuracies were achieved in our nomogram with AUC of 0.801 in training set, 0.811 in testing set, and 0.791 in the validation cohort, respectively. Calibration curves and DCA in internal validation and external validation both showed good stability and clinical utility values.

Conclusions

Preoperative CEA positive was a significant predictor of DM for young-onset CRC patients. A novel nomogram containing clinical and pathological features was established for predicting DM of advanced CRC in patients younger than 50 years old. This tool may serve as an early alert for clinicians to DM and make better clinical treatment regimens.

Comparison of safety and efficacy of fluorouracil + oxaliplatin + irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) and modified FOLFOXIRI with bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer: data from clinical practice

PURPOSE

The efficacy of fluorouracil + oxaliplatin + irinotecan with bevacizumab (FOLFOXIRI + BV) has been verified for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In clinical practice, the original (O-FOLFOXIRI + BV) and modified dose settings (M-FOLFOXIRI + BV) are adopted for Asian patients. We aimed to compare the real-world efficacy and safety of these two regimens.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study reviewed clinical data of all consecutive mCRC patients treated with FOLFOXIRI + BV at a cancer centre in Japan. One hundred patients were divided into two groups: one that received O-FOLFOXIRI + BV (group O, n = 30) and another that received M-FOLFOXIRI + BV (group M, n = 70). Progression-free survival (PFS) was set as the primary endpoint, with overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and safety as secondary endpoints.

RESULTS

PFS was superior in group M (median PFS; 8.7 vs. 11.5 months, P = 0.098). The use of O-FOLFOXIRI + BV emerged as an independent risk factor of poor PFS (hazard ratio = 2.155, P = 0.012). Both ORR (43.3 vs. 65.7%, P = 0.047) and OS (median OS; 17.9 vs. 27.0 months, P = 0.127) were more favourable in group M. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events were more frequently observed in group O (90 vs. 74.3%, P = 0.108), whereas dose intensity was higher in group M because a shorter duration was required for cytotoxic drug administration (2.9 vs. 2.6 weeks/course, P = 0.051) in the induction term.

CONCLUSION

We found that M-FOLFOXIRI + BV had more favourable efficacy and safety than O-FOLFOXIRI + BV, which may be a better fit for Asian patients and can be potentially used as an alternative for upfront chemotherapy for mCRC.

Artificial intelligence in rectal cancer

Accurate and rapid diagnosis is essential for correct treatment in rectal cancer. Determining the optimal treatment plan for a patient with rectal cancer is a complex process, and the oncological results and toxicity are not the same in every patient with the same treatment at the same stage. In recent years, the increasing interest in artificial intelligence in all fields of science has also led to the development of innovative tools in oncology. Artificial intelligence studies have increased in many steps from diagnosis to follow-up in rectal cancer. It is thought that artificial intelligence will provide convenience in many ways from personalized treatment to reducing the workload of the physician. Prediction algorithms can be standardized by sharing data between centers, diversifying data, and creating big data.

Chances, challenges and outcomes of patients with complex bilobar colorectal liver metastases approached by a combined multimodal therapy with liver resection and local ablative therapy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRC-LM), liver surgery combined with systemic therapies and local ablation (LAT) allows improved survival. This study aims at the outcomes of patients with complex bilobar CRC-LM who were intended to undergo multimodal therapy with liver resection and LAT.

METHODS

Forty-three CRC-LM patients with recommendation for multimodal treament were extracted from 5878 tumor board decisions between 2014 and 2017. Outcome variables included patient survival, as well as completion of hepatic clearance. Prognostic factors were identified by correlation and a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Out of 43 patients only 23 achieved complete clearance of CRC-LM. One- and 3-year overall survival of patients with cleared liver disease was 100% and 91.7%, respectively, as compared to 83.8% and 12.1%. Incomplete hepatic clearance was the strongest independent risk factor for overall survival (hazards ratio [HR], 5.86; p = .009). Risk factors for incomplete clearance were higher age (r = .34; p = .026), comorbidities (r = .40; p = .008), major complications (r = .34; p = .024), and prolonged intensive care unit stay (r = .41; p = .017).

CONCLUSION

Completion of hepatic clearance is crucial to achieve long-term survival in patients with complex bilobar CRC-LM. Careful patient selection and treatment planning should avoid treatment failure before completing the intended therapy plan when multimodal treatments are planned.

Postoperative liver regeneration does not elicit recurrence of colorectal cancer liver metastases after major hepatectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Recurrence is a frequent concern in curatively resected CRC liver metastases. Translational research suggests that regeneration upon hepatectomy may also alleviate metastatic recurrence; however, the significance in patients is unclear. We therefore sought to study the effect of liver regeneration on tumor recurrence in patients.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, we included 58 out of 186 potentially eligible patients from our prospectively maintained database of CRC liver metastasis patients between 2001 and 2012 with a median follow-up of 42 months who underwent a formal right or left hemihepatectomy. Liver regeneration in CT volumetry was correlated with recurrence of CRC liver metastases and overall survival.

RESULTS

Liver regeneration increased up to 14 months to 21.0% for left and 122.6% for right hemihepatectomy, respectively, with comparable final volumes. Regeneration was independent of initial tumor stage, number of metastases, and preoperative chemotherapy. Patients with lower liver regeneration showed earlier recurrence of CRC liver metastases (p = 0.006). Overall survival did not differ in patients with weak versus strong liver regeneration.

CONCLUSIONS

The extent of liver regeneration after major hepatectomy does not impede overall survival. Therefore, our data encourage aggressive therapeutical regimes for CRC liver metastases involving major hepatectomies as part of a curative approach.

FDG-PET reflects tumor viability on SUV in colorectal cancer liver metastasis

BACKGROUND

Liver resection is the most effective procedure for colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM); however, early recurrence is an important problem that affects the postoperative prognoses of patients with CRLM. We previously suggested a therapeutic algorithm for CRLM using fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and revealed the applicability of FDG-PET in predicting the prognosis after liver resection of CRLM. In this study, we assessed the correlation between FDG-PET and biological viability such as proliferation or metabolic activity.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 61 patients who underwent hepatectomy for CRLM. We assessed hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), pyruvate kinase isozyme M2 (PKM2), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), and Ki-67 expression via immunohistochemistry and evaluated the correlation between standardized uptake value (SUV) and these factors.

RESULTS

High HIF-1α, PKM2, and GLUT1 expression were positively correlated with high SUV expression (P = 0.0444, 0.0296, and 0.0245, respectively). Ki-67 and SUV were also positively correlated (P = 0.00164). HIF-1α expression and PKM2 expression were significantly correlated (P = 0.0430), and PKM2 expression and GLUT1 expression were extremely significantly correlated (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

SUV reflected tumor proliferation or metabolic factors in CRLM. FDG-PET could be a useful modality for assessing tumor viability and may provide useful information regarding the appropriate treatment strategy for CRLM.

A new risk score based on twelve hepatocellular carcinoma-specific gene expression can predict the patients' prognosis

A large panel of molecular biomarkers have been identified to predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet with limited clinical application due to difficult extrapolation. We here generated a genetic risk score system comprised of 12 HCC-specific genes to better predict the prognosis of HCC patients. Four genomics profiling datasets (GSE5851, GSE28691, GSE15765 and GSE14323) were searched to seek HCC-specific genes by comparisons between cancer samples and normal liver tissues and between different subtypes of hepatic neoplasms. Univariate survival analysis screened HCC-specific genes associated with overall survival (OS) in the training dataset for next-step risk model construction. The prognostic value of the constructed HCC risk score system was then validated in the TCGA dataset. Stratified analysis indicated this scoring system showed better performance in elderly male patients with HBV infection and preoperative lower levels of creatinine, alpha-fetoprotein and platelet and higher level of albumin. Functional annotation of this risk model in high-risk patients revealed that pathways associated with cell cycle, cell migration and inflammation were significantly enriched. In summary, our constructed HCC-specific gene risk model demonstrated robustness and potentiality in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients, especially among elderly male patients with HBV infection and relatively better general conditions.

Machine Learning-based Analysis of Rectal Cancer MRI Radiomics for Prediction of Metachronous Liver Metastasis

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To use machine learning-based magnetic resonance imaging radiomics to predict metachronous liver metastases (MLM) in patients with rectal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed 108 patients with rectal cancer (54 in MLM group and 54 in nonmetastases group). Feature selection were performed in the radiomic feature sets extracted from images of T2-weighted image (T2WI) and venous phase (VP) sequence respectively, and the combining feature set with 2058 radiomic features incorporating two sequences with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method. Five-fold cross-validation and two machine learning algorithms (support vector machine [SVM]; logistic regression [LR]) were utilized for predictive model constructing. The diagnostic performance of the models was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves with indicators of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve, and compared by DeLong test.

RESULTS

Five, 8, and 22 optimal features were selected from 1029 T2WI, 1029 VP, and 2058 combining features, respectively. Four-group models were constructed using the five T2WI features (Model_T2), the 8 VP features (Model_VP), the combined 13 optimal features (Model_combined), and the 22 optimal features selected from 2058 features (Model_optimal). In Model_VP, the LR was superior to the SVM algorithm (P = 0.0303). The Model_optimal using LR algorithm showed the best prediction performance (P = 0.0019-0.0081) with accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of 0.80, 0.83, 0.76, and 0.87, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Radiomics models based on baseline rectal magnetic resonance imaging has high potential for MLM prediction, especially the Model_optimal using LR algorithm. Moreover, except for Model_VP, the LR was not superior to the SVM algorithm for model construction.

Resection of Liver Metastases: A Treatment Provides a Long-Term Survival Benefit for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Nonsurgical therapies, including biotherapy, chemotherapy, and liver-directed therapy, provided a limit survival benefit for PNET patients with hepatic metastases. With the development of liver resection technique, there was a controversy on whether to perform a liver resection for these patients.

Methods

A computerized search was made of the Medline/PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, and SinoMed (CBM) before March 2018. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate the differences in the efficacy of liver resection and nonliver resection treatments based on the evaluation of morbidity, 30-day mortality, symptom relief rate, and 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. Two investigators reviewed all included articles and extracted the data of them. The meta-analysis was performed via Review Manager 5.3 software.

Results

A total of 13 cohort studies with 1524 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the nonliver resection group, liver resection group had a longer 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival time and a higher symptom relief with an acceptable mortality and morbidity.

Conclusions

Liver resection is a safe treatment and could significantly prolong the long-term prognosis for highly selected patients with resectable liver metastases from PNET. Further randomized, controlled trials are needed.

Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases in elderly patients

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) in elderly patients.

Patients and methods

Between January 2009 and January 2016, LH was performed for 241 consecutive patients who were ≥60 years old and had CRLM. Based on their age at the LH, the patients were divided into an elderly group (≥70 years old, 78 patients) and a middle-aged group (60–69 years old, 163 patients). The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups.

Results

Compared to the middle-aged group, the elderly group had higher values for Charlson comorbidity index, proportion of preoperative chemotherapy, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score. No other significant differences were observed in the preoperative characteristics. The elderly group had a higher conversion rate, compared to the middle-aged group, although no significant differences were observed in the surgical procedures, surgical times, intraoperative blood losses, numbers and severities of postoperative 90-day complications, postoperative 90-day mortality rates, pathology results, and other short-term outcomes. Long-term follow-up revealed similar rates of recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival in the two groups. Multivariable analysis revealed that age did not independently predict overall survival or disease-free survival.

Conclusion

Similar short- and long-term outcomes were observed after LH for CRLM in elderly and middle-aged patients. Thus, advanced age is not a contraindication for LH treatment in this setting.

D-dimer predicts postoperative recurrence and prognosis in patients with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is common, and its incidence is increasing throughout the world. The liver is a major metastatic site, and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) has a poor prognosis. Although liver resection is the most effective therapy for CRLM, postoperative recurrence is common. Thus, prognostic markers for CRLM are greatly needed. D-dimer, a fibrin cleavage product, has been shown to be related to colorectal tumor progression, and is also associated with malignant progression and recurrence in various cancers. Therefore, we evaluated the value of D-dimer in predicting the prognosis in CRLM.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 90 cases of resected CRLM to determine the correlation between D-dimer and patient survival. The cut-off value for D-dimer levels was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

RESULTS

Significant differences occurred in the recurrence group with higher D-dimer levels (P = 0.00736*), while the optimal cut-off value was 0.6 µg/mL. High D-dimer levels (≥ 0.6 µg/mL) were associated with poor recurrence-free survival (RFS; P = 0.0000841*) and cancer-specific survival (CSS; P = 0.00615*). In the multivariate analysis, D-dimer correlated with CRLM prognosis and independently predicted RFS (P = 0.0179*).

CONCLUSION

High D-dimer levels were associated with poor RFS and CSS. D-dimer was an independent prognostic factor of RFS. Therefore, D-dimer may help predict recurrence and prognosis in patients with CRLM.

Extreme liver resections with preservation of segment 4 only

AIM

To evaluate safety and outcomes of a new technique for extreme hepatic resections with preservation of segment 4 only.

METHODS

The new method of extreme liver resection consists of a two-stage hepatectomy. The first stage involves a right hepatectomy with middle hepatic vein preservation and induction of left lobe congestion; the second stage involves a left lobectomy. Thus, the remnant liver is represented by the segment 4 only (with or without segment 1, ± S1). Five patients underwent the new two-stage hepatectomy (congestion group). Data from volumetric assessment made before the second stage was compared with that of 10 matched patients (comparison group) that underwent a single-stage right hepatectomy with middle hepatic vein preservation.

RESULTS

The two stages of the procedure were successfully carried out on all 5 patients. For the congestion group, the overall volume of the left hemiliver had increased 103% (mean increase from 438 mL to 890 mL) at 4 wk after the first stage of the procedure. Hypertrophy of the future liver remnant (i.e., segment 4 ± S1) was higher than that of segments 2 and 3 (144% vs 54%, respectively, P < 0.05). The median remnant liver volume-to-body weight ratio was 0.3 (range, 0.28-0.40) before the first stage and 0.8 (range, 0.45-0.97) before the second stage. For the comparison group, the rate of hypertrophy of the left liver after right hepatectomy with middle hepatic vein preservation was 116% ± 34%. Hypertrophy rates of segments 2 and 3 (123% ± 47%) and of segment 4 (108% ± 60%, P > 0.05) were proportional. The mean preoperative volume of segments 2 and 3 was 256 ± 64 cc and increased to 572 ± 257 cc after right hepatectomy. Mean preoperative volume of segment 4 increased from 211 ± 75 cc to 439 ± 180 cc after surgery.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method for extreme hepatectomy with preservation of segment 4 only represents a technique that could allow complete resection of multiple bilateral liver metastases.

Liver Transplantation for Unresectable Metastases from Colon Adenocarcinoma

Liver transplantation is an option that improves quality of life and prolongs life expectancy in patients with different types of liver disease. Liver transplantation is controversial for colorectal metastases and is not recommended in clinical practice guidelines. In this case report, we present, to our knowledge, the first liver transplantation for colorectal metastases conducted in Colombia, with a successful follow-up of more than 2 years. Patients with these characteristics who underwent liver transplantation experience reduced mortality and exponentially improved quality of life.

Insurance Status and Hospital Payer Mix Are Linked With Variation in Metastatic Site Resection in Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancers

BACKGROUND

Despite substantially improved survival with metastatic site resection in colorectal cancers, uptake of aggressive surgical approaches remains low among certain patients. It is unknown whether financial determinants of care, such as insurance status, play a role in this treatment gap.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate the effect of insurance status on metastasectomy in patients with advanced colorectal cancers.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study.

SETTINGS

Using the National Cancer Data Base Participant User File, incident cases of colorectal cancer metastatic to the lung and/or liver with diagnosis from 2010 to 2013 were identified.

PATIENTS

We identified 42,300 patients in our cohort with a mean age 64 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Controlling for patient, tumor, and hospital characteristics, hierarchical regression was used to examine associations between hospital payer mix and metastatic site resection. Metastatic site resection occurred in 12.3% of all patients.

RESULTS

Adjusting for patient and hospital fixed effects, we found that patients who were uninsured or on Medicaid were 38% less likely to undergo metastasectomy (OR = 0.62 (95% CI, 0.56-0.66)). Patients in hospitals with staff treating a high percentage of uninsured patients or patients with Medicaid were less likely to undergo metastasectomy, even after controlling for individual patient insurance status.

LIMITATIONS

The study was limited by its retrospective design and the granularity and accuracy of the National Cancer Data Base.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in insurance status and hospital payer mix are associated with differences in rates of metastatic site resection in patients with colorectal cancer that is metastatic to the lung and/or liver. There is a need for improved access to metastatic site resection for individual patients who are uninsured or who have Medicaid insurance, as well as for all patients who seek care at hospitals treating a large proportion of patients who are uninsured or on Medicaid. Remedies for individual patients could include improved access to private insurance through employment or individual plans or improved reimbursement from Medicaid for this procedure. Strategies for patients at low-performing hospitals include selective referral to centers that perform mestastectomy more frequently when appropriate.

High preoperative serum CA19-9 level is predictive of poor prognosis for patients with colorectal liver oligometastases undergoing hepatic resection

Oligometastasis is defined as a transitional state between localized and widespread systemic metastatic cancers. In colorectal cancer, the prognostic factors and prognostic value of preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for patients with colorectal liver oligometastases (CLOM) undergoing hepatic resection have not been well explored. Therefore, the present study included 141 patients with CLOM (≤5 liver metastases) who underwent R0 resection from 2005 to 2012. The association of clinicopathological factors including preoperative CA19-9 and CEA levels with overall survival (OS) was analyzed with univariate and multivariate analyses. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with high CA19-9 levels tended to have poorer OS than those with low levels (median OS 21.5 vs. 64.0 months, P = 0.002). Preoperative CEA levels were not significantly associated with OS (P > 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that larger tumor size of liver metastases (HR 1.911; 95 % CI 1.172-3.114; P = 0.009), bilobar distribution (HR 1.776; 95 % CI 1.097-2.873; P = 0.019), and higher preoperative CA19-9 levels (HR 1.954; 95 % CI 1.177-3.242; P = 0.010) were independent predictors of poor OS for patients with CLOM. Our study identified tumor size, distribution, and preoperative CA19-9 levels as independent prognostic factors for OS of patients with CLOM. In particular, measurement of preoperative CA19-9 levels offers an easy tool that could help identify high-risk patients and aid in improving the management of patients with CLOM.