Survival after palliative radiotherapy of liver metastases: A search for prognostic factors

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Abstract
Seventy-nine patients, aged 21–79 years, were given mega-voltage radiotherapy for symptomatic liver metastases from various primary malignancies. The material was analysed with respect to survival and ability to complete treatment as planned. All patients died. Median survival from start of radiotherapy was 4 months (1 month-2.5 years). Multivariate survival analyses selected only low or high leukocyte count (< 0 109/1 or >10 109/1) as significant prognostic factors indicating short survival. Other clinical and biochemical parameters including liver function tests were not correlated to survival. Multivariate logistic regression analyses of the ability to complete treatment showed that patients with mammary cancer and thrombocyte count < 0 109/1 were less likely to complete the radiotherapy. We conclude that less time-consuming methods of palliation should be tried for these patients as survival time is rather limited in patients with symptomatic liver metastases.