Metastatic cancer to lung

Abstract

Metastasis is the major cause of death in cancer patients. The lungs are the second most frequent site of metastatic disease for all histologies and the sole site of metastasis in 20% of autopsy cases.1 The presence of pulmonary metastasis implies systemic dissemination of disease and was once considered beyond the realm of surgical cure. It was widely accepted that surgery could provide nothing beyond palliation. We now recognize that metastases that are isolated to the lungs are not consistently associated with the same dismal survival as metastases to multiple sites.2 During the past 40 years, surgical resection has become a standard approach for the treatment of pulmonary metastasis in selected histologies. A multitude of series have documented the survival benefits of pulmonary metastasectomy in selected patients. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.