FACTORS INFLUENCING INCIDENCE AND EXTENSION OF METACHRONOUS LIVER METASTASES OF COLORECTAL ADENOCARCINOMA - A MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS

Background/Aim: Three hundred and eightyseven. patients surgically tre ated for colorectal adenocarcinoma were assessed by a multivariate ana lysis and the factors influencing incidence and extension of metachron ous Liver metastases were studied. Methodology: A series of 387 patien ts which had been surgically treated for colorectal adenocarcinoma bet ween. January 1980 to December 1990 and followed-up over a minimum of a 5-year period was retrospectively studied. Results: The most reliabl e prognostic markers are represented by tumor site (p<0.05) and, more specifically, by wall infiltration (p<0.01) and metastatic lymph-nodes (p<0.05). The only independent variable with a significant impact on. stage of metachronous liver metastases was proved to be the depth of wall infiltration (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study confirms the reliab ility of some indicators of primary tumor in, influencing incidence, b ut not extension, of metachronous liver metastases and this is the mai n problem when it comes to using prognostic factors in, order to modul ate the intervals of postoperative follow-up according to risk categor y.