SURGERY FOR PULMONARY METASTASES

Between 1967 and 1993 we operated on 115 patients suffering from lung metastases curatively. Most often the primary tumor was located in the kidney (n = 26), the colon and rectum (n = 24) and the extremities (n = 21). In 76 patients we performed an atypical wedge resection, 29 ti mes a lobectomy and in 5 patients each a bilobectomy and a pneumonecto my. 27 times we removed more than one metastases. One year after the o peration 68% of the patients were still alive, after 3 years 42% and a fter 5 years 28%. The median survival time was 21 months. The prognosi s of the patients with lung metastases depends on the tumor type, the number of metastases, the tumor free intervall and the resection techn ique. We think that a lung metastasectomy should be performed in patie nts with not more than five metastases. Conditions are a radical remov al of the primary tumor, no extrapulmonary metastases, resectability o f the metastases and low operative risk.