[Surgery of lung metastasis--indications, results and prognostic factors as an interdisciplinary concept]

Surgical therapy of lung metastases nowadays is an established procedure. The operation's purpose is the radical and therefore potential curative resection. Beside there are diagnostic and palliative indications. Beside there are diagnostic and palliative indications. Median sternotomy is the standard approach for revision of both lungs even in unilateral seeming disease. Preoperative staging is not reliable concerning number and extension of metastases. From 1972 to 1991 843 operations for lung metastases were carried out in 729 patients in the surgical department of the "Thoraxklinik Heidelberg-Rohrbach". 30-day-mortality amounted to 2.9%, 5-year-survival-rate was 33% overall from date of metastases resection. The best results were achieved in testicular cancer with 67% 5-years-survival-rate, poorest survival was observed in melanomas with 12% 3-years-survival. Beside the primary tumor and partly dependent on it several prognostic factors were relevant: radicality, sarcoma vs carcinoma in favour of carcinomas, disease-free interval, type of resection, thoracic lymphnode involvement. As figured out by multivariate analysis the prognostic influence of the factors varies considerably due to the kind of primary tumor. Surgery of lung metastases is part of an interdisciplinary oncological therapeutical concept and offers a prolonged survival to most of the patients and the possibility of cure to some. Even if prolongation of life is not feasible an improved quality and therefore a good palliation is obtained.