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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Advanced Animal Model of Colorectal Metastasis in Liver: Imaging Techniques and Properties of Metastatic Clones
Published on: November 30, 2016
Immune phenotype and histopathological growth pattern in patients with colorectal liver metastases
Stefan Stremitzer1,2, Peter Vermeulen3, Shannon Graver4
1USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA. stefan.stremitzer@meduniwien.ac.at.
Background:
Patients with desmoplastic (angiogenic) histopathological growth pattern (HGP) colorectal liver metastases (CLM) might derive more benefit from bevacizumab-based chemotherapy than those with replacement (non-angiogenic) HGP. This study investigated the association of HGP with the immune phenotype (IP) and clinical outcome after liver resection.
Methods:
CLM of patients treated with perioperative bevacizumab-based chemotherapy and liver resection were investigated. Association of HGP and IP with response, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) was investigated.
Results:
One hundred and eighteen patients (M/F 66/52, median age 62.3 (31.0-80.4) years, median follow-up 32.2 (5.0-92.7) months) were enrolled. The inflamed IP was associated with the desmoplastic HGP. The desmoplastic HGP was associated with better radiological and histological response compared to the replacement HGP, respectively. The replacement HGP was associated with shorter RFS (8.7 versus 16.3 months, HR 2.60, P = 0.001) and OS (36.6 months versus not reached, HR 2.32, P = 0.027), respectively. The non-inflamed IP was associated with shorter RFS (10.8 versus 16.5 months, HR 1.85, P = 0.029). The HGP but not the IP remained significant in multivariable analysis for RFS.
Conclusions:
The desmoplastic HGP is associated with the inflamed IP and HGP may be a potential biomarker for adjuvant treatment that includes targeting the immune contexture.
