title: Hepatic resection in stage IV colorectal cancer: prognostic predictors of outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatic resection has been proposed as an effective way to treat metastatic colorectal carcinoma. The aim of the study was to determine if contemporary resection of intestinal primary tumor and hepatic metastases is effective in the treatment of patients with metastases that are recognized at the initial clinical presentation of the primary tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study, univariate and multivariate models were used to analyze the effect of patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment factors on early and long-term outcome of patients submitted to synchronous intestinal and hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases. From 1988 to 1999, 78 patients underwent surgical resection of primary colorectal tumor and hepatic metastases with curative intent. Criteria for study recruitment included primary tumor controllable, no extrahepatic disease detectable, and negative surgical margins of hepatic resection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The univariate analysis disclosed as adverse predictors of the long-term outcome the numbers of metastases (</=3; >3), pre-operative CEA value >100 ng/ml, resection margin <10 mm, and portal nodal status. Multivariate analysis confirmed number of metastases, resection margin and portal nodal status as independent predictors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings confirm hepatic resection as an effective procedure when undertaking combined bowel and hepatic resection. The applicability and the outcome of this surgical strategy is definitively influenced by the chance of a radical resection of the primary tumor, the number of hepatic metastases, resection margin wider than 1 cm, positive portal nodes, and the absence of any extrahepatic metastatic disease.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, University of Rome La Sapienza Medical School, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy. adriano.tocchi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tocchi
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brozzetti
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miccini
authors.forename: Diletta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cassini
authors.forename: Elia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bettelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen