Role of Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Colorectal Cancer

Pulmonary metastasectomy serves as the most efficacious local therapeutic option for stage IV colorectal cancer that has spread to the lungs. In order to properly select patients who will benefit most from pulmonary metastasectomy over other therapeutic options, a multidisciplinary approach should be utilized. The ideal technique is parenchymal-sparing, especially given that there is a high recurrence rate with the most common location being the remainder of the lung. While benefits of pulmonary metastatsectomy are well-documented, further studies are warranted to continue to refine patient selection, timing of surgery, and interplay with other treatment modalities.