To investigate the relationship between ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT metabolic parameters of colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastasis.

A total of 98 CRC patients (66 males, 32 females, average age: (64±13) years) from January 2012 to October 2016 in Shanghai Renji Hospital were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and had not received any treatment before surgery. The relationships between clinical pathological results, metabolic parameters and liver metastasis were analyzed. Data were analyzed using χ² test and logistic regression analysis.

Patients were divided into two groups, 78 without liver metastasis, 20 with liver metastasis. Univariate analysis showed that the tumor primary location(χ²=5.983), T stage(χ²=6.447), serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels(χ²=5.501), metabolic tumor volume (MTV; χ²=6.282) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG; χ²=9.046) were significantly different between the two groups (all P<0.05). Multiple factor analysis showed that the tumor primary location, T stage, serum CEA levels, MTV and TLG (odds ratio (OR): 0.059-7.575)were independent risk factors of CRC liver metastasis, and MTV and TLG were negatively correlated with liver metastasis.

Tumor primary location, T stage, serum CEA levels, MTV and TLG are independent risk factors of CRC liver metastasis. MTV and TLG are negatively correlated with liver metastasis.

Colorectal neoplasms; Neoplasm metastasis; Liver; Positron-emission tomography; Tomography, X-ray computed; Deoxyglucose