Pulmonary metastasectomy--general issues.

Pulmonary metastasectomy has been widely accepted by thoracic surgeons and is applied to the treatment of a variety of histologies, but the evidence that the patient may benefit from lung metastasectomy is not yet elucidated and the best way of integrating oncologic therapies (induction or adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy) with surgical resection are still unknown. When there is no good clinical alternative, the resection of pulmonary metastases can give some patients long-lasting disease free intervals. Patients should be carefully selected on the basis of clinical staging with defined prognostic indicators. In order to obtain suitable results the management of these patients should be based on a multidisciplinary team decision.