Clinical features of surgical resection for pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Metastatic breast cancer has been defined as a systemic disease. The discussion concerning the resection of lung metastases in patients with breast cancer is controversial. To confirm the role of resection of pulmonary metastases from breast cancer and to identify possible prognostic factors, we reviewed our institutional experience.


METHODS
Between 1991 and 2007, 41 patients with pulmonary metastases from breast cancers underwent complete pulmonary resection. All patients had obtained or had obtainable locoregional control of their primary tumors. Various perioperative variables were investigated retrospectively to confirm the role of metastasectomy and to analyze prognostic factors for overall survival after metastasectomy.


RESULTS
All patients were female with a median age of 55 years (range, 35-81 years). The overall survival rate after metastasectomy was 51% at 5 and 10 years. On multivariate analysis, fewer than four pulmonary metastases and a disease-free interval of more than 3 years were significantly favorable prognostic factors for overall survival (p=0.023 and 0.024, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The current practice of pulmonary metastasectomy for breast cancers in our institution was well justified. Pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with previous breast cancer might be justified when fewer than four pulmonary metastases or a disease-free interval of more than 3 years.
Chen
F
F
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Fujinaga
T
T
Sato
K
K
Sonobe
M
M
Shoji
T
T
Sakai
H
H
Miyahara
R
R
Bando
T
T
Okubo
K
K
Hirata
T
T
Toi
M
M
Date
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult