RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic factors and significance of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for the clinic outcomes, follow-up data and survival status in 84 patients with CLM undergoing RFA between January 2000 and December 2008. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazard model respectively. RESULTS: A total of 265 lesions in 84 patients received RFA with a follow-up of 1-10 years. The median survival was 29 months, 1-year survival rate 98%, 3-year survival rate 27% and 5-year survival rate 7%. For those lesion < or = 4 cm and lesion number < 3, the median survival time was 30 months, 1-year survival rate 100%, 3-year survival rate 31% and 5-year survival rate 16%. For those with lesions > 4 cm or lesion number > 3, the median survival time was 28 months, 1-year survival rate 96%, 3-year survival rate 21% and 5-year survival rate 0. For those receiving RFA combined with chemotherapy, the median survival time was 32 months, three-year survival rate 29% and five-year survival rate 8%. For those on molecular-target therapy, the median survival time was 41 months, 3-year survival rate 60% and 5-year survival rate 20%. The multivariate statistical analysis showed that the influences of lesion number and size (P = 0.004), chemotherapeutic agents and timing (P = 0.004) and extra-liver metastases (P = 0.097) had statistic significance to the survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: RFA has a favorable outcome in the treatment of CLM patients. The prognostic factors of overall survival are correlated with the lesion size and presence or absence of extra-hepatic metastasis. It may effectively improve the patient prognosis by RFA in combination with chemotherapy and especially molecular-target therapy.
