Resection of pulmonary metastases from squamous carcinoma of the head and neck.

The purpose of this study was to determine the survival results and identify favorable selection factors for a group of patients who were found to have metastatic disease from the upper aerodigestive tract to the lung and subsequently underwent pulmonary resection. The medical records of 44 patients treated at our institution were reviewed. The cumulative 5-year survival rate after pulmonary resection was 43 percent. The optimal interval between diagnosis of the primary tumor and the development of pulmonary metastases was 13 to 24 months (p less than 0.005). The most favorable primary site was the larynx. No significant prognostic effect was noted for single versus multiple metastases or T-stage of the primary tumor. The presence of intervening locoregional recurrence prior to pulmonary diagnosis likewise had no significant effect on the survival rate. The initial presence of nodal metastases and primary tumor in the oral cavity had a poor outcome. The worst prognostic indicator was the presence of mediastinal disease (p less than 0.001). We have concluded that aggressive surgical treatment for isolated pulmonary metastases from the upper aerodigestive tract in the absence of mediastinal involvement is therapeutically beneficial. Selection criteria for resection should include site and stage of primary disease, locoregional control, interval from primary to pulmonary diagnosis, extent of pulmonary disease and mediastinal involvement, and the general medical condition of the patient.