Efficacy of Adjuvant Chemotherapy According to the Classification of Recurrence Risk Based on Systemic Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Liver Metastases of Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Although complete resection of liver metastases colorectal cancer (CLM) is the only potentially curative treatment, surgery alone is not enough, as the recurrence rate after resection is high. Therefore, in clinical practice, adjuvant chemotherapy is performed after resection of CLM. However, the evidence supporting the efficacy of such adjuvant chemotherapy is not sufficient. Previous reports have noted that adjuvant chemotherapy after resection of CLM is effective only in patients with a high risk of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to classify the risk of recurrence using systemic inflammatory markers reportedly associated with clinical outcomes in patients with various types of malignancies, and evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy according to the risk of recurrence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The medical records of 119 patients with CLM who underwent potentially curative surgery between 1996 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative blood samples were obtained within 2 weeks before resection of CLM. was calculated from the blood samples Dividing the serum C-reactive protein level by the serum albumin level derived the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), reflecting the risk of recurrence. The optimal cut-off value of the CAR was determined according to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and then the patients were classified into the high-CAR (high recurrence risk) or low-CAR (low recurrence risk) group. The relationship between the CAR and relapse-free survival after resection of CLM was examined and the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy according to the risk of recurrence was evaluated.

RESULTS

The cut-off value of the CAR was set at 0.0471. The relapse-free survival rate was significantly better in the low-CAR group than in the high-CAR group. Efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after resection of CLM was not recognized in the low-CAR group, whereas the relapse-free survival rates were significantly better for patients who were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy after resection of CLM in the high-CAR group.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative CAR, as a systemic inflammatory marker, was found to be useful as a prognostic marker in patients with CLM who were treated with potentially curative resection. Furthermore, it was suggested that adjuvant chemotherapy after resection of CLM may be effective for preventing recurrence in patients with high levels of inflammatory markers who have a high risk of recurrence.