Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol. 2026 Jul 12:102883. doi: 10.1016/j.clinre.2026.102883. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Liver metastasis is a frequent in solid tumors, yet cause-of-death (COD) patterns in this population remain incompletely defined.
METHODS: We identified patients diagnosed with liver metastasis from 2010 to 2021 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 17 database. Deaths were classified as due to the index cancer, a subsequent cancer, or non-cancer causes. The top 25 non-cancer CODs were summarized, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to compare non-cancer mortality with that of the U.S. general population overall and across prespecified follow-up intervals.
RESULTS: Among 210,746 patients with liver metastasis, 182,211 died during follow-up. The index cancer accounted for 92.9% of deaths, whereas non-cancer causes and subsequent cancers accounted for 5.4% and 0.4%, respectively. Non-cancer mortality increased over time, rising from 4.84% in 2010 to 6.64% in 2021. Cardiovascular disease was the leading non-cancer COD. Compared with the general population, patients with liver metastasis had an increased risk of non-cancer death overall (SMR, 3.35; 95% CI, 3.28 to 3.41), with the greatest excess risk for septicemia (SMR, 11.3; 95% CI, 10.5 to 12.2). Excess non-cancer mortality was most pronounced within 6 months after diagnosis, when SMRs were highest for septicemia, other infectious diseases, and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis.
CONCLUSION: In liver metastasis, non-cancer mortality represents an increasingly important component of death. These findings support early multidisciplinary survivorship care that integrates infection prevention and cardiovascular risk management.
PMID:42437574 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinre.2026.102883