title: Surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases from esophageal carcinoma after definitive chemoradiotherapy: experience from a single institution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases is known to be a safe and potentially curative procedure for various primary malignancies. However, there are few reports regarding the prognostic role of surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases from esophageal carcinoma, especially after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 5 patients who underwent surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases from esophageal carcinoma at our institution. The primary treatment for esophageal carcinoma was definitive CRT, and a complete response (CR) was achieved in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The surgical procedure for pulmonary metastases was wedge resection, and pathological complete resection was achieved in all 5 patients. The disease free interval after definitive CRT varied from 7 to 36 months, with a median of 19 months. There were no perioperative complications, but postoperative respiratory failure occurred in 1 patient. The postoperative hospital stay varied from 4 to 7 days, with a median of 6 days. Three patients are now alive with a good performance status (PS) and are disease free. The other 2 patients died of primary disease. The overall survival after surgical treatment varied from 20 to 90 months, with a median of 29 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical treatment should be considered for patients with pulmonary metastases from esophageal carcinoma who previously received CRT and achieved a CR, because it provides not only a longer survival, but also a good postoperative PS for some patients.
authors: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan. y.kozu@scchr.jp
authors: Yoshiki
authors: Y
authors: Kozu
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Sato
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Tsubosa
authors: Hirofumi
authors: H
authors: Ogawa
authors: Hirofumi
authors: H
authors: Yasui
authors: Haruhiko
authors: H
authors: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate