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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Advanced Animal Model of Colorectal Metastasis in Liver: Imaging Techniques and Properties of Metastatic Clones
Published on: November 30, 2016
Whole liver CT texture analysis to predict the development of colorectal liver metastases-A multicentre study
Rianne C J Beckers1, Doenja M J Lambregts2, Roald S Schnerr3
1GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 90203, 1006 BE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.O. Box 6200, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, P.O. Box 6200, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Objectives:
CT texture analysis has shown promise to differentiate colorectal cancer patients with/without hepatic metastases.
Aim:
To investigate whether whole-liver CT texture analysis can also predict the development of colorectal liver metastases.
Material And Methods:
Retrospective multicentre study (n=165). Three subgroups were assessed: patients [A] without metastases (n=57), [B] with synchronous metastases (n=54) and [C] who developed metastases within ≤24 months (n=54). Whole-liver texture analysis was performed on primary staging CT. Mean grey-level intensity, entropy and uniformity were derived with different filters (σ0.5-2.5). Univariable logistic regression (group A vs. B) identified potentially predictive parameters, which were tested in multivariable analyses to predict development of metastases (group A vs. C), including subgroup analyses for early (≤6 months), intermediate (7-12 months) and late (13-24 months) metastases.
Results:
Univariable analysis identified uniformity (σ0.5), sex, tumour site, nodal stage and carcinoembryonic antigen as potential predictors. Uniformity remained a significant predictor in multivariable analysis to predict early metastases (OR 0.56). None of the parameters could predict intermediate/late metastases.
Conclusions:
Whole-liver CT-texture analysis has potential to predict patients at risk of developing early liver metastases ≤6 months, but is not robust enough to identify patients at risk of developing metastases at later stage.

