Surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Abstract

Purpose: As locoregional control of head and neck cancer has improved, distant metastases have become increasingly common problems. Patients and Methods: To determine the role of surgical treatment, we reviewed 32 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck who underwent thoracotomy for pulmonary metastases. Results: The overall 5-year survival rate was 32%. The 5-year survival rate of the patients with SCC of the oral cavity was significantly poorer than that of the patients with other primary site (15.4% v 45.2%; P = .01). In the patients with single nodule, extent of the tumor was a significant prognostic factor ( P = .007). Mediastinal lymph node involvement ( P = .004) and pleural invasion ( P = .04) also correlated with survival. Conclusion: TNM classification of the primary tumor did not have an impact on survival in this study. Further studies of a large series should be performed to determine the indications and modalities of the surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases of the SCC of head and neck.