Author/Authors :
Vaziri, M Department of Thoracic Surgery - Hazrat Rossol Hospital - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/University of Iran - Tehran, Iran , Pazooki, A Department of Thoracic Surgery - Hazrat Rossol Hospital - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/University of Iran - Tehran, Iran , Zahedi-Shoolami, L General Practitioner and Researcher - School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Rahim, M. B. Department of Thoracic Surgery - Imam Khomeini Hospital - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/University of Tehran - Tehran, Iran , Alavi, A.A Department of Thoracic Surgery - Imam Khomeini Hospital - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/University of Tehran - Tehran, Iran , Banazadeh, M Department of Thoracic Surgery - Imam Khomeini Hospital - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/University of Tehran - Tehran, Iran , Massori, N Department of Health Information Management - School of Medicine - Medical Sciences/ University of Tehran - Tehran, Iran
Abstract :
Pulmonary metastases occur in 30% of all oncology patients. Surgical resection of lung
metastases is a widely accepted procedure but long-term results are disappointing with a 5-year survival
rate of 20-40% and the results vary with the histologic type of the primary tumor. Due to unavailability
of any study regarding pulmonary metastasectomy in Iran and emergence of new treatment modalities,
reassessment of our current practices is essential. We performed a retrospective study of 60 cases of
pulmonary metastasectomy during a 5-year period in one of the major thoracic surgery centers in
Tehran (Imam Khomeini Hospital). Bilateral metastases were present in 23% of cases, number of
metastases in each patient ranged from 1-12. Average disease-free interval was 12 months,
pneumonectomy rate was 21.7% mostly as a second or third attempt and finally, recurrence or death
following initial metastasectomy occurred in 12-18 months in most patients. These results confirm that
surgery remains unsuccessful in obtaining long-term survival or cure in most patients with pulmonary
metastases and treatment strategies other than surgery, such as radiofrequency ablation are needed to
avoid performing multiple operations in these patients and improving their quality of life.
