[Radiation therapy of lung metastases]

One of cardinal tents of cancer management is the importance of successful treatment of distant metastases. From 1976 to 1987, of the 410 patients with distant metastases before initiation of radiation therapy, 101 lung metastases were received operation, radiation and immuno-chemotherapy, at the Department of Radiology, Tokushima University Hospital. The patients ranged in age from 1 to 83 years (average, 57.2 years). The 5-year survival and median survival month were 27%, 10.9 months, 0%, 7.2 months and 0%, 3.8 months with radiation, immuno-chemotherapy, no-treatment respectively. Small number of lung metastases tended to have a higher probability of cure than many ones. Concomitant other distant metastases conferred a bleak prognosis. The results confirmed the importance of radiation therapy in the management of lung metastases.