What factors influence survival in patients with unresected synchronous liver metastases after resection of colorectal cancer?

Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether the survival of patients with untreated synchronous liver metastases after resection of a colorectal cancer was associated with any features of the primary turnout. Methods Information for 398 consecutive patients with unresected liver metastases in the period 19712001 was examined by multivariate survival analysis. Results Of 19 clinical and pathological variables considered, survival was independently associated only with residual turnout in a line of resection (hazard ratio (HR) 1.95), venous invasion (HR 1.87), right colonic turnout (HR 1.68), lymph node metastasis (HR 1.54), and extrahepatic metastasis (HR 1.16); 8.3% of patients had none of these adverse features. Their 2-year overall survival rate was 39.2%, compared with only 16.5% (P < 0.001) in those with one or more adverse features. Conclusions These findings may assist in selecting patients most likely to benefit from treatment of hepatic metastases and in counselling patients and their relatives.