Aim: To evaluate the validity of surgical therapy for isolated hepatic and pulmonary colorectal metastases.
Patients and methods: Among 256 patients with liver resection for colorectal cancer metastases, 31 patients underwent resection for lung metastases synchronously or following liver resection.
Results: Twenty-nine patients (93.5%) underwent pulmonary resection for lung metastases after hepatectomy. Two patients (6.5%) with synchronously identified liver and lung metastases underwent staged liver and lung resection. The 5-, and 10-year overall survival rates were 77.5% and 39.5% after the initial liver resection and were 44.7% and 38.2% after the pulmonary resection, respectively. By multivariate analysis, the presence of three or more pulmonary metastases (risk ratio=3.692, 95% confidence interval C I=1.039-13.118, p=0.043) was an independent adverse prognostic factor.
Conclusion: Surgical resection for both hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer appears feasible and efficacious in patients with <3 pulmonary metastases.