Surgical Management of Pulmonary Metastases

Abstract

Cancer that has metastasized to the lung is not necessarily beyond surgical control. Even multiple bilateral lung lesions can be resected in many cases. Criteria for selecting patients are (1) ability to tolerate the operation, (2) absence of disease at the primary site, and (3) absence of metastases beyond the projected pulmonary resection. When these strict criteria are met, as many as 35 percent of patients can be expected to be alive five years later.