title: Pulmonary metastasectomy.
abstract: Between 1988 and 1994, 24 patients underwent 32 procedures for pulmonary metastases. Primary tumours were gastrointestinal, malignant melanoma, osteogenic sarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck cancer and finally testicular carcinoma. Age ranged from 16 to 78 years, with a female/male ratio of 7/17. Pulmonary metastasectomy was performed in 9 cases through median sternotomy, in 21 cases through thoracotomy and in 2 cases by thoracoscopy. In 9 cases repeated resection was necessary. Overall mortality was 0% (95% confidence limits are 0.00 +/- 14.25). Computed tomography of the chest in combination with tumour markers, were most important during follow-up to detect recurrent disease. The overall 5-year actuarial survival and disease-free survival were 0.56 +/- 0.17 and 0.30 +/- 0.14 respectively. With regard to testicular carcinoma 5-year actuarial survival was 100%. Pulmonary metastasectomy is a recommended procedure in the treatment of selected patients with metastatic pulmonary disease. Resections should be as conservative as possible and if necessary, repeated. In our study this procedure proved especially effective in case of testicular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Schil
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Oosterom
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanmaele
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eyskens
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Marck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D012086:Reoperation; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology