Long-term survival after surgical resection of liver metastasis from lung cancer

Lung cancer metastasis to the liver indicates a poor prognosis, and the majority of patients with metastatic disease to the liver are not indicated for surgery because of the number or distribution of metastases or the presence of extrahepatic disease. We herein describe a case of long-term survival after a surgical resection of liver metastases from lung cancer. Six months after surgery for Stage IB primary lung adenocarcinoma, a 71-year-old male was found to have a metastatic tumor in his liver. A hepatic resection for the metastatic tumor and another small metastatic foci found intraoperatively was carried out, and the tumors were pathologically diagnosed as liver metastases from lung cancer. The patient is presently alive and well without recurrence, as of 5 years and 2 months after the liver resection. This is the first report of the successful surgical treatment of liver metastasis from lung cancer.