Pulmonary metastasectomy for sarcoma—survival and prognostic analysis

Abstract

Pulmonary metastasectomy (PM) has commonly been performed in patients with controlled metastatic sarcoma. We reviewed our single-institution experience with pulmonary resections for sarcoma to analyse clinical outcome and to identify prognostic factors associated with patient survival. All sarcoma patients undergoing curative intent PM between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively analysed. Factors related to primary tumour, metastases, applied therapy, systematic inflammation and preoperative nutritional condition, associated with survival after PM were evaluated using the univariable Cox proportional hazard model. Cut-off values of continuous variables were determined by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. In total, 33 patients (19 male and 14 female, median age 55 years) underwent PM for metastatic sarcoma. There were no perioperative deaths; major complications occurred in 5 (15.2%) patients. The median interval between the treatment of primary tumour and PM was 16 months (range, 0-171 months). The median size of the largest pulmonary lesion was 1.3 cm. Mean follow-up was 37 months (range, 1-100 months) and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate after first PM was 40.4%. Resection was complete (R0) in 31 (93.9%) patients. In univariable analysis, a shorter interoperative interval [<30 months, hazard ratio (HR) 5.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-22.19] and grade 3 (G3) sarcoma (HR 3.52, 95% CI: 1.01-12.25) were significant negative prognosticators. Despite the lack of randomized controlled trials PM for sarcomatous disease is a reasonable therapeutic option with acceptable survival in a selected patient population. In sarcoma patients with a shorter interoperative interval and G3 tumour, shorter survival after PM can be expected.