Is thoracoscopic surgery justified to treat pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer?

We retrospectively analyzed 143 consecutive patients undergoing pulmonary resection for metastasis from colorectal cancer, either through thoracotomy or thoracoscopy from 1987 to 2005. Patients with incomplete resection were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups, based on whether or not they underwent thoracoscopy (n=72) or open thoracotomy (n=71) at the first pulmonary metastasectomy. Two patients undergoing thoracoscopy died postoperatively (one from pulmonary thromboembolism and one from gastrointestinal bleeding). Factors influencing postoperative recurrence-free or overall survival were multiple pulmonary metastasis and history of liver metastasis by univariate analysis, and multiple pulmonary metastasis, hilar or mediastinal nodal metastasis, larger diameter of the pulmonary metastasis, and surgery by wedge resection by multivariate analysis. Five-year recurrence-free rates after the first pulmonary metastasectomy were 34.4% in thoracoscopy and 21.1% in thoracotomy, respectively (P=0.047). Overall 5-year survival rates were 49.3% in thoracoscopy and 39.5% in thoracotomy, respectively (not significant). We found no significant difference in the survival rates between the thoracotomy and thoracoscopy groups, even with elimination of the patients with multiple pulmonary metastases in both groups. We suggest that thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary metastasectomy from colorectal cancer may be justified if the surgical treatment is indicated.