Surgical resection for pulmonary metastasis from pancreatic and biliary tract cancer

Abstract

Aim: To determine the efficacy of pulmonary metastasectomy for pancreatic and biliary tract cancer. Patients and Methods: Ten patients who underwent therapeutic pulmonary metastasectomy after resection for pancreatic and biliary tract cancer at our Institution from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The primary site was the pancreas in four patients and biliary tract in six. Nine patients had single metastasis, and one patient had bilateral multiple metastases. The median time from surgery for the primary tumor to pulmonary resection was 23.3 months (range= 0-47.1 months). One patient underwent lobectomy, while nine patients underwent partial resection. One patient had incomplete resection due to pleural dissemination. There were no postoperative mortalities or major morbidities. The mean follow-up period was 26.0 months. The median survival time was 38.5 months, and the estimated 5-year overall survival was 38.9% after pulmonary resection. Five patients had recurrent disease after pulmonary resection, with a median recurrence-free interval of 6.0 months. One patient underwent second pulmonary resection for a solitary lung recurrence. Conclusion: Despite the poor prognoses of these cancer types, pulmonary metastasectomy can significantly prolong survival in selected patients with pancreatic and biliary tract cancer.