Klin Onkol 2005; 18(6): 219-221.
Abstract:
Purpose. To identify prognostic factors of improved survival after resection of isolated pulmonary metastasis (PM) from colorectal cancer.
Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 21 patients who underwent resection of a pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer between May 1999 and July 2004. Twelve 12 men and 9 women were included in the study. Median age was 62 years (range 49-77 years). Primary tumor site was in rectum in 10 patients and in colon in 11 patients. Four patients underwent reoperation for pulmonary recurrence.
Results: Four patients had synchronous metastases. Four patients had reoperation for pulmonary recurrence and one patient underwent bilateral operation. Nineteen19 metastasectomies, 6 lobectomies and one bilobectomy were performed. Overall 3-year survival was 67 %, 5-year survival was 36 %. Patients with normal pretoracotomy carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level had better prognosis than patients with elevated CEA level (p = 0,04). This was identified as the only statistically significant factor for survival prognosis in patients following resection of PM.
Conclusions: Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer may help prolong survival in selected patients, even with bilateral lesions or recurrent metastasectomy. The pretoracotomy serum CEA level appears to be the most reliable predictor of survival in patients with isolated PM from colorectal cancer.
