Significance of tumor recurrence before pulmonary metastasis in pulmonary metastasectomy for soft tissue sarcoma

BackgroundResection for pulmonary metastasis from soft tissue sarcomas is an accepted method for treatment, but it is still debatable which patients will benefit from surgical intervention. To find an entity of patients benefiting from pulmonary metastasectomy, we reviewed our institutional experience.MethodsBetween 1990 and 2007, 23 patients with pulmonary metastases from soft tissue sarcomas underwent complete pulmonary resection. All patients had obtained locoregional control of their primary tumors. Various perioperative variables were investigated retrospectively to confirm the role of pulmonary metastasectomy and to identify possible prognostic factors for survival after metastasectomy.ResultsOverall survival rate after metastasectomy was 43% and 29% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Disease-free survival rate was 9% at 1 year after pulmonary resection. On multivariate analysis, no tumor recurrence (neither locoregional recurrence nor extrapulmonary metastasis) before pulmonary metastasis provided a significantly favorable overall survival (P = 0.038). In addition, repeat metastasectomy for recurrent pulmonary metastasis also provided a favorable overall survival (P = 0.041).ConclusionsOur data suggested that patients most likely to benefit from pulmonary metastasectomy for soft tissue sarcoma have no tumor recurrence before pulmonary metastasis. Furthermore, patients with repeat metastasectomy for recurrent pulmonary metastasis also presented a significantly longer survival.