Outcome of surgical resection for recurrent pulmonary metastasis from colorectal carcinoma

Abstract Background The outcomes after repeat pulmonary resection for colorectal cancer (CRC) and the factors associated with the prognosis of these patients remain uncharacterized. Methods Data on 156 patients who underwent curative resection of pulmonary metastasis from CRC were reviewed. Repeat pulmonary resection was performed in 25 patients; the present study examined the outcomes and factors associated with prognosis after repeat pulmonary resection. Results The 5-year survival rate after the first pulmonary resection was 56.2%. A multivariate analysis identified a histological type other than well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, a high prethoracotomy serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, and the presence of hilar or mediastinal lymph node metastasis as poor prognostic factors for the first pulmonary resection. The 5-year survival rate after repeat pulmonary resection was 42.1%. Hilar or mediastinal lymph node metastasis at the time of the repeat resection was significantly associated with poor survival. Conclusions Repeat pulmonary resection for metastatic CRC provides satisfactory outcomes. Hilar or mediastinal lymph node involvement is consistently associated with a poor prognosis after the first and repeat pulmonary resections.