Disease-Free Survival after Simultaneous or Delayed Resection of Synchronous Colorectal Liver Metastasis and Primary Cancer.

Background/aims: The purpose of our study was to compare disease-free survival in patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastasis who underwent delayed hepatic resection or simultaneous resection.

Methodology: All patients who underwent a curative resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastasis between 2000 and 2006 in our tertiary care referral centre were retrospectively included in our study. Patients who underwent the first stage of a two-stage hepatectomy during the primary resection were included in the delayed resection group. Disease-free survival was studied using a Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic factors for disease-free and overall survival were determined by multivariate analysis using Cox models.

Results: One hundred and five patients underwent 85 delayed resections and 20 simultaneous resections. Three and five-year disease-free survival did not differ significantly between simultaneous (50% and 40%) and delayed (65% and 34%) resection groups (P = 0.47). Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (HR = 2.05, 95% CI, 1.07-3.92) and presence of extra-hepatic metastasis (HR = 2.85, 95% CI, 1.08-7.54) were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Three and five-year overall survival did not differ either (23% and 23%; 24% and 20%, P = 0.13).

Conclusions: Simultaneous resection of synchronous colorectal liver metastasis and primitive cancer does not appear to impair long-term disease-free survival.