Surgery for pulmonary metastases. The Heidelberg experience.

The surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases is now an established technique in the interdisciplinary concept of oncologic therapy. The authors' finding of a 5-year actuarial survival rate of 33% corresponds with the international standard. Unfortunately, data are only rarely provided as to whether the operations were curative or noncurative. The 5-year actuarial survival rate in 76% of the patients with potentially curative macroscopically radical operations was 38% for all organ tumors. For the time being, a series of prognostic factors should be considered in establishing the indication for surgery, and this should help to reduce the risk of undertreatment or overtreatment.