Outcome of surgical resection for recurrent pulmonary metastasis from colorectal carcinoma

Abstract

Background: The outcomes after repeat pulmonary resection for colorectal cancer (CRC) and the factors associated with the prognosis of these patients remain uncharacterized.

Methods: Data on 156 patients who underwent curative resection of pulmonary metastasis from CRC were reviewed. Repeat pulmonary resection was performed in 25 patients; the present study examined the outcomes and factors associated with prognosis after repeat pulmonary resection.

Results: The 5-year survival rate after the first pulmonary resection was 56.2%. A multivariate analysis identified a histological type other than well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, a high prethoracotomy serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, and the presence of hilar or mediastinal lymph node metastasis as poor prognostic factors for the first pulmonary resection. The 5-year survival rate after repeat pulmonary resection was 42.1%. Hilar or mediastinal lymph node metastasis at the time of the repeat resection was significantly associated with poor survival.

Conclusions: Repeat pulmonary resection for metastatic CRC provides satisfactory outcomes. Hilar or mediastinal lymph node involvement is consistently associated with a poor prognosis after the first and repeat pulmonary resections.