Surgical resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

From 1962-1982, 27 patients with pulmonary metastases as the only site of recurrent colorectal carcinoma underwent pulmonary resection. Only 5 of these patients had symptomatic pulmonary lesions. No postoperative mortality occurred. The median survival after pulmonary resection was 27 mo. Five patients are alive presently without recurrent colorectal cancer and 2 patients are alive with recurrent pulmonary metastases. Patients with solitary lesions had a better survival than patients with multiple lesions. The major sites of recurrence following thoracotomy were the lungs and liver.