[Surgical treatment and prognosis of lung metastases]

From 1979 through 1988, 215 patients with pulmonary metastases were treated in our department. Surgery was possible in 112 patients. Eighty-two patients were resected curatively, whereas 30 had only palliative surgery. The operation mortality was 1.8%. The essential prognostic factors were the complete removal of all pulmonary metastases, the portal or caval path of metastasis, involvement of the hilus lymph nodes and presence of clinical symptoms upon hospital admission. The 5-year-survival rate of patients undergoing potentially curative operations was 31%. This was significantly higher than in patients who underwent palliative operations (9%).