[Prognostic factors associated with resectable pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer]

To analyze prognostic factors associated with survival in a group of patients who underwent resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer.

A retrospective review was performed for 55 consecutive patients who had undergone resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal adenocarcinoma between January 1993 and June 2004. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effect of the recorded variables on overall survival.

Median overall survival was 32.9 months and the probability of survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 79%, 44%, and 22%, respectively. Survival was lower in patients in whom the largest metastasis was at least 4 cm (8.6 vs 34.5 months, P=.0085) and in patients with elevated levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (24.5 vs 41.4 months, P=.05). Significantly longer survival was observed in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery (49.8 vs 30.9 months, P=.0058). Preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) and the absence of previous or synchronous liver metastases were associated with a nonsignificant trend toward increased survival. In the multivariate analysis, only size of the largest pulmonary metastasis influenced overall survival (P=.036).

The preoperative variables that best predicted survival in our patients were size of the largest pulmonary metastasis and the level of carcinoembryonic antigen. Prospective studies are needed to determine the usefulness of PET for tumor staging prior to resection of pulmonary metastases.