Pulmonary metastasectomy: a call for better data collection, presentation and analysis

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy versus Surgery for Lung Metastases from Colorectal Cancer: Single-Institution Results

BACKGROUND

Surgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are two of the options available as local treatments for pulmonary oligometastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). We hypothesized that SBRT would have, at least, a similar local control rate to surgery.

METHODS

We identified an initial cohort of 100 patients with CRC who received SBRT or surgery for lung metastases. This was then narrowed down to 75 patients: those who underwent surgery (n = 50) or SBRT (n = 25) as their first local thoracic treatment between 1 January 2004 and 29 December 2017. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate lung-progression-free survival (L-PFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The 1 and 2-year L-PFS was 85% and 70% in the surgical group and 87% and 71% in the SBRT group, respectively (p = 0.809). No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of OS. The biologically effective dose (BED), age and initial CRC stage did not have a significant effect on local control or survival. No grade 3 or above acute- or late-toxicity events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

These results add retrospective evidence that SBRT and surgery have similar results in terms of OS and local control in patients with lung oligometastases from CRC.

Pulmonary Laser Metastasectomy by 1318-nm Neodymium-Doped Yttrium-Aluminum Garnet Laser: A Retrospective Study About Laser Metastasectomy of the Lung

BACKGROUND

The lungs are among the first organ affected by remote metastases from many primary tumors. The surgical resection of isolated pulmonary metastases represents an important and effective element of therapy. This is a retrospective study about our entire experience with pulmonary resection for metastatic cancer using 1318-nm neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum garnet laser.

METHOD

In this single-institution study, we retrospectively analyzed a group of 209 patients previously treated for primary malignant solid tumors. We excluded 103 patients. The number and location of lesions in the lungs was determined using chest computed tomography and positron emission tomography-computed tomography. Disseminated malignancy was excluded. All pulmonary laser resections are performed via an anteroaxillary muscle-sparing thoracotomy. All lesions were routinely removed by laser with a small (5-10 mm) margin of the healthy lung. Patients received systematic lymph node sampling with intraoperative smear cytology of sampled lymph nodes.

RESULTS

Mortality at 2 years from the first surgery is around 20% (10% annually). This value increases to 45% in the third year. The estimated median survival for patients who underwent the first surgery is reported to be approximately 42 months.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that laser resection of lung metastases can achieve good result, in terms of radical resection and survival, as conventional surgical metastasectomy. The great advantage is the possibility of limiting the damage to the lung. Stapler resection of a high number of metastases would mutilate the lung.

Prognostic Analysis of Surgical Resection for Pulmonary Metastasis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Pulmonary metastases are the most common among extrahepatic recurrences from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It causes high risk of HCC-related death, despite recent progress in therapeutic options. However, a role of pulmonary metastasectomy as well as prognostic factors after metastasectomy has not been well established. We aimed to investigate survival outcomes and prognostic factors after pulmonary resection for metastases from HCC.

METHODS

A series of 93 patients who underwent pulmonary resections for metastases from HCC between June 1990 and July 2013 from multi-institutional database were retrospectively evaluated. Perioperative clinicopathological data and their association with prognosis were investigated.

RESULTS

Of 93 patients, 77 had one pulmonary metastasis, and 16 had two or more. Recurrence after pulmonary resection was noted in 60 patients (64.5 %). The estimated 5-year overall survival rate was 41.4 % with median survival time after pulmonary metastatectomy of 39.0 months. Univariate prognostic analysis showed that disease-free interval of ≥12 months was significantly associated with favorable outcomes in both overall survival (5-year rate, 59.3 vs. 28.7 %, p = 0.026) and disease-specific survival (5-year rate, 62.5 vs. 36.2 %; p = 0.038) after pulmonary metastatectomy. A multivariate analysis revealed that disease-free interval was an independent prognostic factor (HR = 2.020, 95 % CI, 1.069-3.816, p = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

We have shown that a disease-free interval was an independent prognostic factor in patients who underwent pulmonary resection for metastasis from HCC. Also, pulmonary metastasectomy can be one of the therapeutic choices for select patients.

Exploratory Analysis on Overall Survival after Either Surgery or Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Lung Oligometastases from Colorectal Cancer

AIMS

Lung metastasectomy and, more recently, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), are frequently proposed to stage IV oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. In the absence of a randomised comparison between the two treatments, we aimed to retrospectively explore the effect on overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) in a comparative cohort study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included patients who consecutively underwent surgery (n = 142) or SBRT (n = 28) as first local therapy at the time of lung progression, between 2005 and 2012. Both overall survival and PFS functions according to treatment were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the Log-rank test. The effect of treatment on overall survival and PFS was estimated by Cox models using different adjustment methods.

RESULTS

Patients receiving SBRT were older and were treated more recently, whereas the two cohorts were similar for most baseline prognostic factors. Overall survival at 1 and 2 years was 0.89 and 0.77 for SBRT and 0.96 and 0.82 for surgery (P = 0.134), respectively. Multivariable analyses did not highlight a clear treatment effect on overall survival (adjusted hazard ratioSBRT versus surgery = 1.71; 95% confidence interval 0.82-3.54; P = 0.149) and even smaller differences using the inverse probability treatment weighting method (hazard ratioSBRT versus surgery = 1.28, 95% confidence interval 0.58-2.82; P = 0.547). The results of PFS were unreliable because different follow-up protocols were applied in the two cohorts.

CONCLUSION

With limitations consisting in the retrospective observational design and different sample sizes, the results of this explorative analysis indicate that overall survival probability after SBRT is similar to surgery for the first 2 years from treatment. This finding supports the need for high-quality trials comparing different treatment modalities for lung oligometastases from CRC.