Pulmonary metastasectomy: a moving target

Pulmonary Metastasectomy in Sarcoma

Sarcoma has a predilection to metastasize to the lungs, with pulmonary metastases occurring in up to half of patients with this disease. Resection of metastatic disease is a commonly utilized tool in the management of these patients due to limitations in systemic therapies. Prospective data are absent and recommendations for metastasectomy in the setting of sarcoma are derived from retrospective series. We describe factors associated with survival that should be evaluated in considering surgical candidacy. Approaches to resection along with management of recurrent pulmonary disease are also discussed.

Does a thoracoscopic approach provide better outcomes for pulmonary metastases?

Traditional open thoracotomy (OT) is the gold standard treatment for patients with pulmonary metastases. However, it remains controversial whether video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) can provide comparable outcomes to OT. We conducted this review to compare the outcomes of VATS with OT in pulmonary metastasectomy (PM). Relevant studies published up to November 2019 were identified from PubMed data base and screened. Studies were then selected by the researchers based on our selection criteria. Data including the type of study, patient groups, outcomes and key results were extracted from the included studies and summarized. Screening of 2,788 papers identified 9 that were relevant to our research question. The authors, dates of publication, journal details, type of study, patient groups, outcomes and key results from these papers were summarized. All 9 studies documented the survival rate (1-, 3- and 5-year survival). Metastases from colorectal cancer were investigated in three studies, and metastases from sarcoma were investigated in one study. The overall survival rate of VATS was not inferior to that of OT in patients with pulmonary metastases. VATS was also associated with better perioperative results compared with OT. In conclusion, VATS is suitable as an alternative surgical technique for PM.

The Past, Present and Future of Pulmonary Metastasectomy: A Review Article

Pulmonary metastases are a sign of advanced malignancy and an omen of poor prognosis. Once primary tumors metastasize, they become notoriously difficult to treat and interdisciplinary management often involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Over the last 25 years, the emerging body of evidence has recognized the curative potential of pulmonary metastasectomy. Surgical resection of pulmonary metastases is now commonly considered for patients with controlled primary disease, absence of widely disseminated extrapulmonary disease, completely resectable lung metastases, sufficient cardiopulmonary reserve, and lack of a better alternative systemic therapy. Since the development of these selection criteria, other prognostic factors have been proposed to better predict survival and optimize the selection of surgical candidates. Disease-free interval (DFI), completeness of resection, surgical approach, number and laterality of lung metastases, and lymph node metastases all play a dynamic role in determining patient outcomes. There is a definite need to continue reviewing these prognosticators to identify patients who will benefit most from pulmonary metastasectomy and those who should avoid unnecessary loss of lung parenchyma. This literature review aims to explore and synthesize the last 25 years of evidence on the long-term survival, prognostic factors, and patient selection process for pulmonary metastasectomy.

Pulmonary metastasectomy with therapeutic intent for soft-tissue sarcoma

OBJECTIVE

Soft-tissue sarcoma is a heterogeneous disease that frequently includes the development of pulmonary metastases. The purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with improved survival among patients with soft-tissue sarcoma to help guide selection for pulmonary metastasectomy.

METHODS

We reviewed a prospectively maintained database and identified 803 patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy for metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma between September 1991 and June 2014; of these, 539 patients undergoing 760 therapeutic-intent pulmonary metastasectomies were included. Clinicopathologic variables and characteristics of treatment were examined. The outcomes of interest were overall survival and disease-free survival. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between variables with the log-rank test. Factors associated with hazard of death and recurrence were identified via the use of univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Median overall survival was 33.2 months (95% confidence interval, 29.9-37.1), and median disease-free survival was 6.8 months (95% confidence interval, 6.0-8.0). In multivariable analyses, leiomyosarcoma histologic subtype (P = .007), primary tumor size ≤10 cm (P = .006), increasing time from primary tumor resection to development of metastases (P < .001), solitary lung metastasis (P = .001), and minimally invasive resection (P = .023) were associated with lower hazard of death. Disease-free interval ≥1 year (P = .002), and 1 pulmonary metastasis (P < .001) were associated with lower hazard of disease recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

In a large single-institution study, primary tumor histologic subtype and size, numbers of pulmonary metastases, disease-free interval, and selection for minimally invasive resection are associated with increased survival in patients undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy for soft-tissue sarcoma.

Differential diagnosis between primary lung squamous cell carcinoma and pulmonary metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Differentiation between lung squamous cell carcinoma and pulmonary metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is clinically important because the prognoses and therapeutic options are considerably different. However, the clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical diagnostic methods have not yet been fully established. Although various molecular methods have been developed, they have not yet been practically applied. A combined approach involving molecular and immunohistochemical analysis, such as one that uses antibodies selected on the basis of comprehensive genetic analysis results, may be effective. We suggest a new diagnostic criteria using the clinical characteristics and the result of immunohistochemical analysis. However, there are two underlying problems in the development of new diagnostic methods: tumor heterogeneity and determination of the diagnostic accuracy.

Pulmonary metastasectomy: common practice but is it also best practice?

Pulmonary metastasectomy is common practice among surgeons, comprising nearly 15% of all lung resections. Pulmonary metastasectomy from a primary tumor elsewhere is widely believed to improve survival in selected patients, although the evidence for the added value of surgery is still weak. Most resections are performed in patients with a long disease-free interval with few metastases limited to one or both lungs from all cancer types. Until results of a randomized trial comparing surgery versus no surgery, such as in patients with colorectal metastases (PulMiCC trial), are published, surgeons will be unable to give an evidence-based answer to patients asking for the benefit of this invasive treatment that jeopardizes their pulmonary function, exercise capacity and quality of life.

Pulmonary metastasectomy: role of pulmonary metastasectomy and type of surgery

OPINION STATEMENT

Patients with untreated metastatic disease have a less than 5 % to 10 % 5-year survival, and for the patient who has metastatic disease isolated to the lungs, pulmonary metastasectomy remains the best hope for cure. Pulmonary metastasectomy has been performed for decades. However, despite hundreds of studies spanning several decades, randomized control data in support of pulmonary metastasectomy is still lacking, and the evidence upon which we base this commonly accepted surgical practice is for the most part weak. While well-accepted surgical selection criteria exist, controversies related to pulmonary metastasectomy abound. Unanswered and clearly debatable are questions related to: optimal preoperative imaging, if mediastinal staging should be performed and if so when, is video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) equivalent to open thoracotomy, is finger palpation of the lung mandatory, is repeat pulmonary metastasectomy justified, and what is the interrelationship of pulmonary metastasectomy to other treatments. Current practice to the surgical approach to pulmonary metastasectomy remains quite variable.

Thoracoscopic or open surgery for pulmonary metastasectomy: an observer blinded study

BACKGROUND

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) resection of pulmonary metastases has long been questioned because radiologically undetected parenchymal lesions may be missed when bimanual palpation is restricted to the portholes. Technology, however, has improved and advanced VATS resections are now performed routinely worldwide. This prompted us to conduct a prospective observer-blinded study on pulmonary metastasectomy.

METHODS

Eligible patients with oligometastatic pulmonary disease on computed tomography (CT) underwent high-definition VATS, with digital palpation by 1 surgical team and subsequent immediate thoracotomy during the same anesthesia by a different surgical team, with bimanual palpation and resection of all palpable nodules. Preoperative CT evaluations and surgical results were blinded. Primary endpoints were number and histopathology of detected nodules.

RESULTS

During a 3-year period 89 consecutive patients, with newly developed nodules suspicious of lung metastases from previous cancers in colon-rectum (n=59), kidney (n=15), and other malignancies (n=15) were included, with a total of 140 suspicious nodules visible on CT. During VATS, 122 nodules were palpable (87%). All nodules were identified during thoracotomy, where 67 additional and unexpected nodules were also identified; 22 were metastases (33%), 43 (64%) were benign lesions, and 2 (3%) were primary lung cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients operated for nodules suspicious of lung metastases, a substantial number of additional nodules were detected during thoracotomy despite advancements in CT imaging and VATS technology. Many of these nodules were malignant and would have been missed if VATS was used exclusively. Consequently, we considered VATS inadequate if the intention is to resect all pulmonary metastases during surgery.

Evaluation of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary metastases: a meta-analysis

Background

To evaluate the evidence comparing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and open thoracotomy in the treatment of metastatic lung cancer using meta-analytical techniques.

Methods

A literature search was undertaken until July 2013 to identify the comparative studies evaluating disease-free survival rates and survival rates. The pooled odds ratios (OR) and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated with the fixed or random effect models.

Results

Six retrospective studies were included in our meta-analysis. These studies included a total of 546 patients: 235 patients were treated with VATS, and 311 patients were treated with open thoracotomy. The VATS and the thoracotomy did not demonstrate a significant difference in the 1-,3-,5-year survival rates and the 1-year disease-free survival rate. There were significant statistical differences between the 3-year disease free survival rate (p = 0.04), which favored open thoracotomy.

Conclusions

The VATS approach is a safe and feasible treatment in terms of the survival rate for metastatic lung cancer compared with the thoracotomy. The 3-year disease-free survival rate in the VATS group is inferior to that of open thoracotomy. The VATS approach could not completely replace open thoracotomy.

Thoracoscopic versus open pulmonary metastasectomy: a prospective, sequentially controlled study

BACKGROUND

Patients with limited metastatic disease in the lung may benefit from metastasectomy. Thoracotomy is considered the gold standard, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is controversial because nonimaged nodules may be missed when bimanual palpation is restricted. Against guideline recommendations, metastasectomy with therapeutic intent is now performed by VATS by 40% of thoracic surgeons surveyed. The evidence base for optimal surgical approach is limited to case series and registries, and no comparative surgical studies were observer blinded.

METHODS

Patients considered eligible for pulmonary metastasectomy by VATS prospectively underwent high-definition VATS by one surgical team, followed by immediate thoracotomy with bimanual palpation and resection of all palpable nodules by a second surgical team during the same anesthesia. Both surgical teams were blinded during preoperative evaluation of CT scans and during surgery. Primary end points were number and histology of nodules detected.

RESULTS

During a 12-month period, 37 patients were included. Both surgical teams observed exactly 55 nodules suspicious of metastases on CT scans. Of these, 51 nodules were palpable during VATS (92%), and during subsequent thoracotomy 29 additional nodules were resected: Six (21%) were metastases, 19 (66%) were benign lesions, three (10%) were subpleural lymph nodes and one was a primary lung cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Modern VATS technology is increasingly used for pulmonary metastasectomy with therapeutic intent, but several nonimaged, and therefore unexpected, nodules are frequently found during subsequent observer-blinded thoracotomy. A substantial proportion of these nodules are malignant, and, despite modern imaging and surgical technology, they would have been missed if VATS was used exclusively for metastasectomy with therapeutic intent.

Thoracoscopic lung metastasectomies: a 10-year, single-center experience

Introduction

The ideal surgical treatment for pulmonary metastasectomy remains controversial. Minimally invasive surgery may offer advantages for quality of life outcomes, with equivalent oncologic long-term results. The purpose of our study was to confirm the validity of the thoracoscopic approach for pulmonary metastasectomy.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 164 patients who underwent 212 lung metastasectomies from January 2000 to December 2010. Complete curative pulmonary resections were performed in 159 (96.95 %) cases; 126 patients developed lung metastases from epithelial tumors: 28 from sarcoma, 7 from melanoma, and 3 from germ cell tumors. The mean disease-free interval (DFI) was 38.75 months. Fifty-four patients underwent a major VATS resection (53 thoracoscopic lobectomies and 1 pneumonectomy), and 110 patients underwent a wedge resection/segmentectomy. Lymph node sampling was performed in 117 cases.

Results

After a mean follow-up of 38 months, 87 patients (53 %) had died. All resection margins were tumor-free at final pathological examination. Multivariate analysis not confirmed in our series a better prognosis for patients with a particular histologic type and also DFI, age, number of metastases, and type of surgery did not statistically influence long-term survival.

Conclusions

Thoracoscopic surgery is an acceptable procedure, safe and efficacious, with a 5-year overall survival that is equivalent to open surgery.