Four hundred and ten patients with colorectal liver metastases underwent radical liver resection from 1992 to 1996 at 15 institutes were reviewed retrospectively. Survival rates were calculated for more than 5 years after hepatic resection and timing of surgery and recurrences, maximum diameter and number of liver metastases, and intrahepatic recurrence were examined. There was no significant difference in survival rates for the type of liver resection (partial or anatomical) or preoperative serum CEA levels. As for the number of metastases, the 5-year survival rate was lower for patients with over 4 metastases than those with 1, 2, and 3 metastases (p < 0.034). A significant difference in survival rates was recognized for size of liver metastases (p = 0.0309) as follows: 54.6% 5-year survival rate for smaller than 4 cm and 43.8% for over 4 cm. Overall 5-year survival rate for the 410 patients was 50.1% after radical hepatectomy. Of the 410 patients, the 153 (37.3%) patients with intrahepatic recurrence had a 5-year survival rate of 27.3%. The 5-year survival rates for patients with a metastasis smaller than 4 cm, considered to reduce the influence in the difference between surgical procedure or indication for surgery, were verified to be from 88.2% to 11.9% in each institute. This suggests that there could be a difference in diagnostic accuracy, surgical indication or timing of surgery for synchronous liver metastases in each institute.