The natural history of primary and secondary malignant tumors of the liver I.The prognosis for patients with hepatic metastases from colonic and rectal carcinoma by laparotomy

In a series of 156 patients operated on for colonic and rectal carcinoma, 38 were shown to have hepatic metastases. Twenty-four of them died within 6 months, 30 within 12 months, and all except one within 18 months. The survival rate was not influenced by the age of the patient, location of the primary tumor or the type of palliative large bowel operation performed. The patients with elevated alkaline phosphatases at the time of operation had a shorter mean survival than those with normal values.