J Korean Soc Coloproctol.  2006 Dec;22(6):380-386.

Lung Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer

• Kim PS
• Moon SM
• Hwang DY

Abstract

PURPOSE
The lung is the second most common site of metastasis of colorectal cancer. Pulmonary resection of lung metastasis of colorectal cancer has been reported a 5-year survival rate of 9~57% variably. Therefore we have tried to assess the clinical patterns of lung metastasis from colorectal cancer and to evaluate prognostic factors.
METHODS
A retrospective study was performed on 76 patients who presented with colorectal cancer with pulmonary metastasis between Jan. 1993 and Dec. 2001. Follow up period was 2~92 months.
RESULTS
53 patients had developed pulmonary metastasis after curative resection of colorectal cancer, 27 patients of these cases showed isolated lung metastasis and 12 patients underwent pulmonary resection. The number of patients with single pulmonary nodule was 7 and they showed higher survival rate than those of multiple nodules (2-year survival rate: 80% vs. 33.3%, P=0.0325). The patients with normal serum CEA level showed higher survival rate than those with elevated serum CEA level (median survival-71 months vs. 32 months, P=0.0123) in 53 patients who had developed pulmonary metastasis after curative resection of primary tumor. The number of patients of TNM stage IV with synchronous lung metastasis was 23. And serum CEA level and the number of metastatic site had affected the survival in these cases.
CONCLUSIONS
The serum CEA level could be prognostic factors in pulmonary metastasis of colorectal cancer. And pulmonary resection for selected patients may improve the survival rate especially in the case which the number of metastatic nodule was only one.

Keyword

Colorectal neoplasm; pulmonary metastases; prognostic factor; Carcinoembryonic antigen

MeSH Terms

Carcinoembryonic Antigen
Colorectal Neoplasms*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lung*
Neoplasm Metastasis*
Retrospective Studies
Survival Rate
Carcinoembryonic Antigen