title: Colorectal cancer and thoracic surgeons: close encounters of the third kind.
abstract: Resection of lung metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasingly performed with a curative intent. This strategy was made possible in the 1990s by the development of new chemotherapeutic approaches, improved surgical techniques and better imaging modalities. However, evidence-based data showing clinical benefits of lung metastasectomy in this setting are nonexistent, and there are no prospective randomized trials to support the routine performance of these procedures for stage IV CRC. Current evidence suggests that resection of pulmonary metastases in combination with new cytotoxic agents, such as oxaliplatin, irinotecan and bevacizumab, may result in prolonged survival for many, and cure for a small minority of CRC patients who experienced tumor spread beyond the limits of the abdomen. This review focuses on the results of surgical management of CRC patients with lung metastases: we report the outcome of published series according to the presence or the absence of liver metastasis (and hepatic resection) prior to lung resection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Hans Beat
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Ris
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gervaz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents