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Impact of hepatic lymph node metastasis on survival of patients with synchronous resectable or unresectable liver metastases of colorectal cancer

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Abstract

Background

The goals of this retrospective study were to comprehensively evaluate the impact of hepatic lymph node (HLN) involvement on survival in patients with synchronous resectable or unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer and to highlight how to deal with such cases in the light of recent advances in chemotherapy.

Methods

The impact of HLN involvement on survival, along with various clinical, pathological, and therapeutic factors, was retrospectively evaluated in 61 patients with synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer (resectable, 26; unresectable, 35), undergoing resection of the primary tumor and histopathological evaluation between July 2000 and April 2008.

Results

The proportion with HLN metastasis was 11.5 % in resectable cases and 28.6 % in unresectable cases. On multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, HLN metastasis (P < 0.001), along with non-resection of hepatic lesions (P < 0.001), larger metastatic tumor volume (P < 0.001), non-use of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (P < 0.001), involvement of 4 or more regional lymph nodes (P < 0.001), and excessive lymphatic invasion (P = 0.02), was identified as an independent risk factor for shorter survival.

Conclusions

To establish a new therapeutic strategy for synchronous liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, the HLNs should be examined histologically in patients undergoing resection of their primary colon and rectal cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Associate Professor Jeremy Williams, Tokyo Dental College, for his assistance with the English of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Digestive Tract and General Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, 1981 Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama, 350-8550, Japan

    K. Ishibashi, H. Ishida, T. Ohsawa, N. Okada, K. Kumamoto & N. Haga

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  1. K. Ishibashi
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  2. H. Ishida
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  3. T. Ohsawa
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  4. N. Okada
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  5. K. Kumamoto
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  6. N. Haga
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Ishibashi.

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Ishibashi, K., Ishida, H., Ohsawa, T. et al. Impact of hepatic lymph node metastasis on survival of patients with synchronous resectable or unresectable liver metastases of colorectal cancer. Tech Coloproctol 17, 51–57 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151-012-0881-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151-012-0881-y

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