Pulmonary metastasectomy in breast cancer

Metastatic breast cancer has been defined as a systemic disease. Although resection of pulmonary metastases is a common treatment in other primary malignancies, the role of breast cancer metastasectomy is more contentious. Solitary or fewer numbers of pulmonary metastases and longer disease-free interval are, as in other cancers where pulmonary metastasectomy is performed, significant prognostic factors. For proven pulmonary metastases, the level of evidence for a curative approach is low, but some patients might benefit from a metastasectomy followed by an elective and appropriate complementary oncological treatment.