The role of thoracotomy in the management of pulmonary metastases from malignant melanoma.
Thirty-three patients over a 21-year period underwent thoracotomy for resection of suspected pulmonary metastases from malignant melanoma. Eleven patients were found to have nonmalignant disease (Group 1); 10 were found to have unresectable disease (Group 2); and 12 were rendered disease-free (Group 3). Of the patients found to have melanoma, 20 of 22 received post-operative chemotherapy. The median survival of the patients in Group 2 was 10.5 months (3 to 20 months); in Group 3 it was 12 months (3 to 35 months). There were no 5-year survivors. No factors distinguished the three groups preoperatively. Surgical resection still offers the greatest chance for long-term survival, based on reports of patients in the literature who have survived longer than 5 years following resection of pulmonary metastases from melanoma. Thoracotomy is especially useful for staging purposes in those patients found to have no metastatic disease.
D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D013997:Time Factors