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Updated: May 11, 2026

Lung Tumor Cell Recruitment Assay
Published on: February 26, 2019
What predicts the risk of recurrent lung metastases?
Zaria Murrell1, Roshni Dasgupta
1Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine what factors predict recurrent lung metastatic disease in pediatric oncology patients.
Methods:
A retrospective review of 50 patients who underwent resection of lung nodules that were positive for metastatic disease from 1998 to 2011 was performed. Risk factors for recurrence were determined by multi-variable logistic regression models.
Results:
Fifty pediatric oncology patients underwent resection of discrete lung nodules seen on CT scans during work-up for metastasis or for routine surveillance. Out of this patient cohort, 23 (46%) patients had recurrent disease. The only significant factors that influenced risk of recurrence were original PET positive study (p<0.05) and patients with osteosarcoma (p<0.002). The type of surgical procedure, margins of original resection, race, age, gender, size, or the number of original nodules was not found to be significant.
Conclusion:
Patients with osteosarcoma and PET positive disease at original presentation appear to be at the highest risk of recurrent pulmonary metastatic disease. New pulmonary lesions in these patients should undergo biopsy to confirm metastatic disease.
