[Examination of Resection for Pulmonary Tumors after Breast Cancer Surgery]

There are many arguments about whether surgical resection or drug therapy is better for pulmonary metastasis after breast cancer surgery. Here, we examine 9 cases of resection for pulmonary tumors suspected of being metastases from breast cancer, at our institution. The preoperative diagnosis was difficult, with nodules less than 20 mm in all cases. Of the 9 cases, 2 cases were primary lung cancer, 4 cases were metastatic pulmonary tumors, 1 case was comorbid with lung cancer and metastatic pulmonary tumors, and 2 cases were benign pulmonary tumors. The median disease-free interval (DFI) was 6.1 (1.3-8.9) years, and the median survival time was 12.5 (2.3-17.8) years after metastasectomy. There were no changes in the hormone receptors or HER2 status between primary breast tumors and metastases. Both cases of primary lung cancer were Stage ⅠA, and they were treated with radical resection. The 2 benign pulmonary tumors did not receive any unnecessary additional treatment. If a difficult-to-diagnose pulmonary tumor occurs after an operation for breast cancer, a pneumonectomy should be considered, not only for diagnosis but also for treatment.