Pulmonary resection for metastatic osteogenic sarcoma.

A retrospective analysis of thirty patients who underwent pulmonary resection for metastatic osteosarcoma over a twenty-eight-year period revealed that most were young males with previous amputations for primary lesions of the lower extremity. In each, one to four thoracotomies had been performed, for a total of fifty-two chest operations with resection of 124 pulmonary metastatic lesions. At last follow-up, eleven of the thirty patients were alive and free of disease. At five years 28 per cent had survived: three of them were alive at more than nine years, and one was alive at nearly twenty years. Adverse survival factors identified were short tumor-free interval and multicentricity of pulmonary metastases. Long-term survival was associated with a tumor-free interval of more than two years and one to four thoracotomies at which few foci were present. As a group, patients selected for lung resection had significantly longer suvival than did patients whose pulmonary metastasis was untreated.     

Pulmonary resection for metastatic sarcoma

Surgical resection plays an important role in the treatment of sarcoma that is metastatic to the lung. Multiple bilateral metastases are not contraindications to surgery. The rapidity of growth and the response to chemotherapy can be accurately determined by the tumor doubling time. Preoperative chemotherapy provides an in vivo measurement of tumor sensitivity, and the response to chemotherapy correlates with prognosis. Since residual microscopic pulmonary disease appears to be responsible for most failures after thoracotomy, attention should be directed toward delivering more effective adjuvant therapy to the lungs.     

Hepatic resection for metastatic cancer.

One-year survival is infrequent in patients with metastatic cancer to the liver. This report includes 21 patients who underwent hepatic resection between 1974 and 1981. Operative procedures included one trisegmentectomy, 12 right hepatic lobectomies, two left hepatic lobectomies, two left lateral segmentectomies, and four wedge resections. Operative morbidity and mortality rates were 43% and 5%, respectively. Life-table analysis revealed an overall 7-year survival rate of 34%. The subset of patients (16) with colorectal adenocarcinoma had a 7-year survival rate of 29% after hepatic resection. In three patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma, frequent CEA determinations were made after surgery in order to calculate the serum half-life of CEA. The data fitted a biexponential function yielding two half-lives for CEA disappearance, 0.8 +/- 0.5 days and 25.9 +/- 10.3 days. We conclude that hepatic resection for isolated hepatic metastases can be performed with acceptable morbidity, low mortality, and prolongation of patient survival.     

Pulmonary resection for metastatic laryngeal carcinoma

In a 5 year period, 11 patients were referred to our department as candidates for resection of pulmonary metastases from laryngeal carcinoma. At thoracotomy, a second primary tumor of the lung was discovered in three patients (27%). The other eight were considered eligible for thoracotomy and were subsequently proved to have metastases. Two of these patients (Group I) refused surgical treatment and died after 10 and 12 months; histologic diagnosis was obtained at autopsy. Six patients (Group II) underwent curative resection: Two of them have died (26 and 34 months) and four are alive and free of disease 40, 43, 46, and 55 months after thoracotomy. The disease-free interval, stage of primary tumor at laryngectomy, and single versus multiple metastases do not seem to affect survival. We conclude that lung resection increases survival in patients with pulmonary metastases from laryngeal carcinoma.     

Pulmonary metastases of breast cancer. When is resection indicated?

Objective: While resection of pulmonary metastases is a common treatment in other primaries, the role of breast cancer metastasectomy is still unclear. The objective of the present study was to investigate the clinical outcome of our operated patients with pulmonary breast cancer metastases and discuss the different indications for metastasectomy. Methods: From January 1998 to December 2007 we retrospectively analysed 47 patients with histologically proven pulmonary metastases from breast cancer. The mean age of the 47 female patients was 56.2 years, the median disease-free interval (DFI) was 3.66 (0–25.8) years and the median follow-up was 20.6 months (3.2–110). Results: The grading of the metastases was higher than the primary tumour in 12 of 45 (26.7%) and lower in 6 of 45 (13.3%) patients. R0, R1 and R2 resections were achieved in 27, 6 and 14 cases. The oestrogen receptor status of the metastases differed from the primary tumour in 11 out of 39 (28.2%) tested cases. Her2-neu receptor status differed in 4 out of 16 tested patients. The histological reports described a tumour spread around the metastasis in lymph or blood vessels in at least one resection specimen in 25 out of 47 (53.2%) patients. The rate of major complications was 5.8%. The overall survival from the first pulmonary metastasectomy was 32 months with a 5-year survival of 36%. The main prognostic factor was the oestrogen receptor status with a 5-year survival for receptor positive patients of 76% and 12.1% for receptor negative ones (p = 0.002). A similar survival difference was found for the status of Her2-neu receptor (p = 0.037). No prognostic influence could be demonstrated for age, number of metastases, initial tumour stage, complete versus incomplete resection, lymphatic spread, lymph node or parietal pleural involvement. Conclusion: The gain in life expectancy in breast cancer patients with pulmonary metastases is based on chemotherapy and antihormone treatment. Tissue of the lung metastasis is needed to adjust medical therapy to oestrogen and Her2-neu expression and to reliably rule out primary lung cancer. In case of proved pulmonary metastases, the level of evidence for a curative approach is low but some patients might benefit.     

Liver resection for metastatic colorectal cancer

From 1975 to 1985, 60 patients with isolated hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer were treated by 17 right trisegmentectomies, five left trisegmentectomies, 20 right lobectomies, seven left lobectomies, eight left lateral segmentectomies, and three nonanatomic wedge resections. The 1-month operative mortality rate was 0%. One- to 5-year actuarial survival rates of the 60 patients were 95%, 72%, 53%, 45%, and 45%, respectively. The survival rate after liver resection was the same when solitary lesions were compared with multiple lesions. However, none of the seven patients with four or more lesions survived 3 years. The interval after colorectal resection did not influence the survival rate after liver resection, and survival rates did not differ statistically when synchronous metastases were compared with metachronous tumors. A significant survival advantage of patients with Dukes' B primary lesions was noted when compared with Dukes' C and D lesions. The pattern of tumor recurrence after liver resection appeared to be systemic rather than hepatic. The patients who received systemic chemotherapy before clinical evidence of tumor recurrence after liver resection survived longer than those who did not.     

Hepatic resection for recurrent metastatic ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND: The role for liver resection in metastatic ovarian cancer has not been defined. The aim of the current study was to investigate the validity of hepatic resection as a treatment option in metastatic ovarian cancer. METHODS: Retrospective review of a single institution's experience of patients undergoing hepatic resection for metastatic ovarian cancer from 1998-2006. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent resection for metastatic ovarian cancer. Primary tumor type included serous cystadenocarcinoma (n = 8), granulosa cell (n = 1), and yolk sac (n = 1). Median disease-free interval was 48 months. Liver resections included trisegmentectomy (n = 4), lobectomy (n = 4), and bisegmentectomy(n = 1). Additional surgeries included diaphragm resection (n = 60), bowel resection, (n = 30), and adrenalectomy (n = 10). The median overall survival following liver resection was 33 months. CONCLUSION: Liver resection for metastatic ovarian cancer is safe and is associated with long-term survival in some patients. Larger analysis may lead to the identification of prognostic factors associated with improved outcomes.     

Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer

Aim: The prognosis of patients with disseminated colorectal carcinoma is poor except for those with single organ pulmonary or hepatic metastases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the result of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal secondary and to identify the prognostic factors. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 80 patients who had pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary secondary from colorectal carcinoma in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. Results: The overall 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates of the entire cohort were 42.5% and 35.5%, respectively. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen (> 20 μg/dL), short disease‐free interval (< 12 months) and incomplete resection were the independent prognostic factors. Neither the characteristics of the primary colorectal tumour nor the number of metastatic nodules had a significant contribution to the long‐term survival. Six patients underwent second pulmonary metastasectomy and three were still free from tumour recurrence after the second operation. Conclusion: Patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma would benefit from pulmonary metastasectomy. High premetastasectomy carcinoembryonic antigen and short disease‐free interval were negative predictive factors for survival. Long‐term follow‐up study is required, as recurrence can occur more than 5 years after pulmonary metastasectomy. Also, whether the survival benefit is due to surgical treatment effect or lead‐time bias remains undecided.     

Clinical management of metastatic breast cancer.

The physician treating the patient with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer has a number of available therapeutic options. Various clinical and laboratory factors play a role in the decision process for the choice of the initial and subsequent treatments for such patients. The strategies for palliative therapy are reviewed along with estimates of potential benefits of the various modalities.     

Hepatic resection for breast cancer metastases

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic resection is an established modality of treatment for colorectal cancer metastases. Resection of breast cancer liver metastases remains controversial, but has been shown to be an effective treatment in selected cases. This study reports the outcome of 8 patients with liver metastases from breast cancer. PATIENTS & METHODS: 8 patients with liver metastases from previously treated breast cancer were referred for hepatic resection between September 1996 and December 2002. Six were eligible for liver resection. The mean age was 45.8 years. The resections performed included 1 segmentectomy and 5 hemihepatectomies of which one was an extended hemihepatectomy. One patient had a repeat hepatectomy 44 months after the first resection. RESULTS: There were no postoperative deaths or major morbidity. The resectability rate was 75%. Follow-up periods range from 6 to 70 months with a median survival of 31 months following resection. There have been 2 deaths, one died of recurrence in the residual liver at 6 months and one died disease-free from a stroke. Of the remaining 4 patients, 1 has had a further liver resection at 44 months following which she is alive and ''disease-free'' at 70 months. The one patient with peritoneal recurrence is alive 49 months after her liver resection with 2 patients remaining disease-free. CONCLUSION: Hepatic resection for breast cancer liver metastases is a safe procedure with low morbidity and mortality.     

Outcome of hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer

The role of hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer is less well defined due to the tendency of gastric cancer to widely metastasize. The purpose of this study is to examine the beneficial effect of hepatic resection in patients with metastatic gastric cancer. The clinicopathologic features and long-term results of 11 patients who underwent hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer from January 1988 to December 1996 at Seoul National University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. All resected hepatic metastases were solitary lesions. Among eight patients with synchronous hepatic metastases, one patient with early gastric cancer and lymph node metastases (T1N2M1) remained alive for 8 years 6 months after hepatic resection without recurrence. Among three patients with metachronous hepatic metastases, two patients with advanced gastric cancer and lymph node metastases (T3N2MO, T2N1MO at the initial operation, respectively) survived 8 years 6 months and 3 years after hepatic resection, respectively. Median survival times of synchronous and metachronous hepatic metastases were 13.0 and 74.3 months, respectively. In solitary hepatic metastatic lesions from gastric cancer, surgical resection should be considered as one of the treatment options.