Frailty Can Predict Prognosis After Hepatectomy in Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastasis

Abstract

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to investigate frailty as a prognostic factor in patients with colorectal liver metastasis undergoing hepatectomy.

Patients and methods: Eighty-seven patients who underwent hepatectomy at our institution were enrolled. Frailty was defined as a score of ≥4 on a clinical frailty scale. Patients were divided into frailty (n=29) and non-frailty (n=58) groups.

Results: Overall and cancer-specific survival rates were significantly worse in the frailty group compared with the non-frailty group, and multivariate analysis revealed frailty as an independent prognostic factor. Disease-free survival tended to be worse in the frailty group. Fifty-eight patients relapsed after the first hepatectomy. Twenty-one of 58 recurrent patients were allocated to the frailty group. After recurrence, chemotherapy was significantly more frequently performed in the non-frailty group compared with the frailty group.

Conclusion: Frailty can predict the prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastasis undergoing hepatectomy.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; frailty; hepatectomy; liver metastasis; overall survival.