Improved long-term survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases following staging with FDG positron emission tomography.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Actual long-term survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases staged by PET CT has not been reported. Objectives were to investigate whether PET CT staging results in actual improved long-term survival, to examine outcome in patients with 'equivocal' PET CT scans, and those excluded from hepatectomy by PET CT.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases between March 1998 and September 2008.

RESULTS

Overall 5- and 10-year survival was 44.8% and 23.9%. PET CT staging resulted in management changes in 23% of patients. PET CT staged patients showed significantly better survival than those staged by CT alone at 3 years (79.8% vs. 54.1%) and at 5 years (54.1% vs. 37.3%) with median survivals of 6.4 years versus 3.9 years (log rank P = 0.018). Patients with equivocal PET CT scans showed worse median survival than those with favourable PET CT (log rank P = 0.002), but may include a subpopulation whose prognosis trends towards a more favourable outcome than those excluded from liver resection by PET CT, whose median survival remains limited to 21 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Staging of patients with colorectal liver metastases by PET CT is associated with significantly improved actual long-term survival, and provides valuable prognostic information which guides surgical and oncological treatments.