Synchronous and metachronous colorectal liver metastases: impact of primary tumor location on patterns of recurrence and survival after hepatic resection

Patterns and Predictors of Recurrence After Curative Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastasis (CRLM)

BACKGROUND

Our study aims to determine the predictors and patterns of relapses after curative colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) resection.

METHODS

A single-centre, retrospective study of CRLM patients operated between 2010 and 2022 was performed. The site of first recurrence was either hepatic (marginal (≤ 1 cm) or extramarginal), extrahepatic, or both. Factors that predicted relapse patterns and overall survival were determined by multivariable Cox regression analysis with backward elimination of variables.

RESULTS

The study consisted of 258 patients, with a similar proportion of synchronous (144; 56%) and metachronous(114; 43%) metastasis. At a 43-month median follow-up, 156 patients (60.4%) developed recurrences with 33 (21.1%) in the liver, 62(24.03%) extra-hepatic recurrences, and 58 (22.48%) having both. Isolated marginal liver relapses were seen in seven (9.89%) liver recurrence patients. The median overall and relapse-free survivals were 38 months (30-54) and 13 months (11-16), respectively. The 3-year liver-relapse-free survival was 54.4% (44.9-60.6). Size of liver metastases > 5 cm (HR 2.06 (1.34-3.17), involved surgical margins (HR 2.16 (1.27-3.68)), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1.89 (1.07-3.35)) were predictors of hepatic recurrences. Node positivity of primary (HR 1.61 (1.02-2.56)), presence of baseline extra-hepatic metastases (HR 0.30 (0.18-0.51)), size of liver metastases > 5 cm (HR 2.02 (1.37-2.99)), poorly differentiated histology (HR 2.25 (1.28-3.49)), presence of LVI (HR 2.25 (1.28-3.94)), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 2.15 (1.28-3.61)) were predictors of extra-hepatic recurrences.

CONCLUSION

The study found majority relapses occurred at extrahepatic sites whilst isolated marginal recurrences were few. The consistent predictors of recurrence were size and inability to deliver adjuvant therapy. A tailored adjuvant therapy might improve outcomes after liver metastasectomy in colorectal cancers.

Analysis of cancer-specific survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: A evidence-based medicine study

BACKGROUND

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a common malignancy whose treatment has been a clinical challenge. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) plays a crucial role in assessing patient prognosis and treatment outcomes. However, there is still limited research on the factors affecting CSS in mCRC patients and their correlation.

AIM

To predict CSS, we developed a new nomogram model and risk grading system to classify risk levels in patients with mCRC.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the United States Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2018 to 2023. All eligible patients were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the independent risk factors for CSS. A new nomogram model was developed to predict CSS and was evaluated through internal and external validation.

RESULTS

A multivariate Cox proportional risk model was used to identify independent risk factors for CSS. Then, new CSS columns were developed based on these factors. The consistency index (C-index) of the histogram was 0.718 (95%CI: 0.712-0.725), and that of the validation cohort was 0.722 (95%CI: 0.711-0.732), indicating good discrimination ability and better performance than tumor-node-metastasis staging (C-index: 0.712-0.732). For the training set, 0.533, 95%CI: 0.525-0.540; for the verification set, 0.524, 95%CI: 0.513-0.535. The calibration map and clinical decision curve showed good agreement and good potential clinical validity. The risk grading system divided all patients into three groups, and the Kaplan-Meier curve showed good stratification and differentiation of CSS between different groups. The median CSS times in the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups were 36 months (95%CI: 34.987-37.013), 18 months (95%CI: 17.273-18.727), and 5 months (95%CI: 4.503-5.497), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our study developed a new nomogram model to predict CSS in patients with synchronous mCRC. In addition, the risk-grading system helps to accurately assess patient prognosis and guide treatment.

Predictive Factors for the Survival Outcomes of Preoperative Chemotherapy in Patients with Resectable and Borderline Resectable Colorectal Cancer with Liver Metastasis

BACKGROUND

Preoperative chemotherapy increases resectability in borderline resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) patients who undergo curative liver surgery. Most clinical risk scores and other predictive factors for survival have been extensively studied in patients who undergo upfront liver surgery. However, predictive factors of CRLM patients who received preoperative chemotherapy remains controversial.

METHODS

CRLM patients who received preoperative systemic therapy followed by curative liver surgery at our institution between 1/2012 and 12/2018 were included. This study aimed to investigate factors that predicted the outcomes of preoperative systemic treatment, optimal dose/duration, and toxicity in patients with CRLM.

OUTCOMES

Ninety-eight patients were eligible for analysis. Most patients received oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (72.7%), while 15.9% received both oxaliplatin and irinotecan. Biologic agents were administered in 48.9% of patients. Overall, chemotherapy-induced liver injury was observed in 38.5%. The median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 8.7 months and 3.6 years, respectively. Baseline, pre-surgery, and increased Fong scores after preoperative chemotherapy were significantly associated with DFS and OS. In multivariate analysis, a high Fong score at baseline (p=0.018) was significantly associated with shorter DFS, whereas male sex (p=0.040) and liver surgery (p=0.044) were related to longer OS.

CONCLUSION

In our study, Fong clinical risk scores, female sex, and liver surgery as a part of liver-directed therapy were independent prognostic factors for survival in CRLM patients who received preoperative chemotherapy. These clinical factors should be considered as an option to guide physicians' decisions in selecting patients with CRLM who may benefit most from curative liver-directed therapy.

Real-Life Experience of the Prognostic Significance of the Primary Tumor Location on the Timing of Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Retrospective Analysis

Background Numerous research studies have looked into how the primary tumor location (PTL) affects patients' prognosis for colorectal cancer (CRC). Our research aimed to investigate the prognostic effects of PTL in patients with synchronous (SM) and metachronous (MM) colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). Material and methods From 2016 to 2021, we looked back at the records of patients at our institute who were affected by CRCLM. Results 109 patients were included, of whom 21.1% received CRCLM resection (R0=73.9%), with 57.7% having left-sided colon cancer (LCC) and 42.2% having right-sided colon cancer (RCC). SM predominated (69.7%). The median duration of follow-up was 21,3 months (95%CI=15,4-25,2). ≥5 hepatic metastases prevailed in the SM group (N=61; 83.5%). 21% of all patients underwent CRCLM resection (R0=78.2%). We observed a double rate of patients unresponsive to standard systemic antineoplastic treatments in the SM group (35.8% vs. 17.9% of the MM group) (p=0.27). We found a significantly longer median overall survival (OS) in patients with MM-LCC compared with the other groups (27.7 months; HR=0.3797; 95%CI=0.19-0.74; p=0.0205). The median OS, regardless of PTL, was higher in the MM group (16,5 months vs. 16,1 months; HR=0,29; 95%CI=0,13-0,67; p=0.0038) as well as progression-free survival (PFS) (11 months vs. 10,2 months; HR=0,61; 95%CI=0,33-1,12; p=0.11). Finally, in patients undergoing liver surgery, a noteworthy median OS was shown to be significantly in favor of patients with metachronous liver metastases from the primary left tumor (37.0 months; HR=0.47; 95%CI=0.11-1.96; p=0.0041). Conclusions Our real-life study demonstrated that patients with LCC, particularly MM-LCC, have the highest survival and that the timing of CRCLM should be a prognostic factor.