Mediastinal germ cell tumour with massive pulmonary involvement

Pulmonary and chest wall metastasectomy in urogenital tumors: a single center experience and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary metastases are often found in advanced malignancies. Urogenital malignancies originating from kidney, prostate, testes, and bladder all metastasize preferentially to the lungs.

OBJECTIVES

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the results of pulmonary and chest wall metastasectomy in patients with primary urogenital Tumors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy in Ghaem Hospital from 1996 to 2011 were examined. Thirteen out of 79 patients referred for pulmonary metastasectomy to a single thoracic surgeon had metastases from urogenital tumors; two cases with metastasis from urogenital tumors were inoperable. We reviewed their demographic data and also clinicopathological features. Disease free interval (DFI) was defined as the time between the first curative surgery and the appearance of the signs and symptoms of pulmonary metastasis.

RESULTS

Among 11 patients who underwent surgery consisted of eight males and three females. Their metastasis originated from testis tumors (n = 5), renal cell carcinoma (RCC; n = 4), bladder tumor (n = 1), and prostate cancer (n = 1). Their mean age was 41.27 years (range, 21-67). The mean age of the patients with RCC and testis tumor at the time of diagnosing metastasis was 54 and 24.8 years, respectively. There were two other patients (a 62-year-old female and a 54-year-old male) with pleural effusion due to metastatic RCC whose tumor was inoperable because of their poor general condition and hence, were referred for chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulmonary metastasectomy is feasible in selected cases.