OBJECTIVETo analyze the risk factors of liver metastasis in patients after radical resection of pancreatic cancer.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty-four patients with non-metastatic, resectable pancreatic cancer treated in our department between 2006 and 2012 were included in this study. All of these patients underwent resection of the primary tumor combined with extensive lymph node dissection. The development of postoperative liver metastases was carefully followed up, and the clinicopathological factors and molecular characteristics were evaluated by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression using SPSS 16.0 software.

RESULTSForty-eight cases of liver metastases were found among the 124 cases of pancreatic cancer after radical surgery (38.7%). The rate of liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer after radical surgery in the age groups < 40, 40-60, and > 60 were 68.8%, 33.3% and 35.1%, respectively. The rate of liver metastasis in the body mass index (BMI) group < 20 kg/m2, 20-25 kg/m2, and > 25 kg/m2 were 21.6%, 44.1% and 52.6%, and the rate of liver metastasis in the time between the onset and diagnosis groups ≥ 3 months and < 3 months were 59.4% and 31.5%, respectively. The rate of liver metastasis in patients with preoperative fatty liver was 14.3% and it was 43.7% in patients without preoperative fatty liver. The rate of liver metastasis in patients of histological high, medium and low grade was 10.0%, 35.4% and 49.0%, respectively. The rate of liver metastasis in patients with venous tumor thrombus was 68.8% and it was 34.3% in patients without venous tumor embolus. The rate of liver metastasis in patients with postoperative chemotherapy was 31.2% and it was 51.1% in patients without postoperative chemotherapy. All those differences had statistical significance (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed that age, body mass index (BMI), time between the onset and diagnosis, preoperative fatty liver, histological grading, tumor invasion depth, venous tumor embolus, and postoperative chemotherapy were significantly related to postoperative liver metastasis. Multivariate analysis revealed five statistically independent risk factors for postoperative liver metastasis: BMI, time between onset and diagnosis, preoperative fatty liver, histological grading, and venous tumor embolus.

CONCLUSIONSOur data suggest that patient's BMI, time between onset and diagnosis, histological grade, and venous tumor embolus are significantly correlated with postoperative liver metastases in patients with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer patients with preoperative fatty liver have less postoperative liver metastasis.