Role of surgery in oligometastatic disease

Abstract

Solitary and oligometastatic lesions occur in a subset of patients afflicted by bone metastases. Oligometastases may represent a distinct spectrum of disease for which aggressive surgical management may prolong survival or even potentiate cure. Basic research and empiric clinical evidence suggest that some cancers are biologically restricted in the capacity for distant spread. Renal cell carcinoma and thyroid cancer have been most frequently reported to benefit from aggressive treatment of bone oligometastases. Complete surgical resection of solitary and oligometastases has been associated with improved survival in numerous retrospective studies. Although rare compared with widespread bone metastases, the incidence of resectable oligometastatic cases likely outnumbers that of primary bone sarcomas.