Early Postoperative Recurrence Peaks at 6 Months for CRLM Patients

A study of 1,804 patients after curative resection of colorectal liver metastases revealed a median recurrence-free survival of 19.9 months, with the highest recurrence risk occurring at approximately 6 months post-surgery. The hazard curve peaked at 5.9 months, indicating a need for closer postoperative monitoring, especially in patients with high and medium tumor burdens who experienced earlier recurrences at 4.9 and 5.8 months, respectively. Low tumor burden patients showed a later peak at 7.5 months.