MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS OF THE PROGNOSTIC FACTORS OF PATIENTS WITH UNRESECTABLE SYNCHRONOUS LIVER METASTASES FROM COLORECTAL-CANCER

PURPOSE: It frequently is observed that widely varying prognoses are g iven for patients with the same extent of liver metastases from colore ctal cancer, even though the same treatment is performed on these pati ents. One of the reasons for this variance is that prognostic factors for these patients have not been defined. This study was designed to e lucidate which clinicopathologic factors were the most important in th e prognosis of 73 patients with unresectable synchronous liver metasta sis from colorectal cancer. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate analy sis of 11 clinicopathologic factors were performed using the Cox propo rtional hazard model. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan- Meier method. RESULTS: Extent of liver metastases was the most signifi cant variable in this survival analysis, although the extent of lymph node metastases of the primary lesion also was significant. However, t he method of treatment was not a significant determinant in the surviv al for patients with unresectable liver metastases. Median survival of patients with H-1, H-2, and H-3 was 13, 12, and 6 months, respectivel y, and there was a significant difference between survival curves for patients with H-1 and patients with H-3. Median survival of patients w ith n(0), n(1), and n(2) was 13, 7, and 7 months respectively, and the re was a significant difference between survival curves for patients w ith n(0) and patients with n(2). Median survival of 6 patients with H- 1 and n(0) and of 17 patients with H-3 and n(2) was 28 and 4 months, r espectively. There was a significant difference in survival curves bet ween these two groups. CONCLUSION: Longevity of patients with unresect able synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer is affected a dversely by the presence of nodal metastases and extent of liver metas tases. This should be considered in the planning treatment.