title: Surgical resection for lung metastases from colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The lung is the second most common site of metastasis from colorectal cancer. Of all patients who undergo a curative resection for colorectal cancer, 10% to 15% will develop lung metastasis. As a hepatic resection of colorectal liver metastases results in improved survival, many reports have suggested that a pulmonary resection of a colorectal lung metastasis would also improve survival. The aim of this study was to analyze the postoperative outcomes of and the prognostic factors for a surgical resection of a lung metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between August 1997 and March 2006, 27 patients underwent surgical resections for colorectal lung metastases at Seoul St. Mary's hospital. A retrospective review of patients' characteristics and various tumor factors was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean interval between colorectal resection and lung metastasis was 24.0 ± 15.1 months. The overall 3- and 5-year survival rates were 76.5% and 22.2%, respectively. The mean follow-up after pulmonary resection was 39.5 ± 21.6 months (range, 3.3 to 115 months). Except for the existence of hilar-lymph-node metastasis (P < 0.001), no risk factors that we studied were statistically significant. Two patients had hilar-lymph-node metastasis. They survived for only for 3.3- and 11.6-months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, we found that a pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer may improve survival in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong-Hyeon
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kye
authors.forename: Jae Im
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yoon Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Kyu
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won Kyung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyeon-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Seok Whan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Seong Taek
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Oh