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Does Surgical Resection of Pulmonary Metastases of Head and Neck Cancer Improve Survival?

¹ Department of Surgery, University of Munich, Grosshadern Campus, Marchioninistrasse 15, Munich 81377, Germany
² Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Munich, Grosshadern Campus, Marchioninistrasse 15, Munich 81377, Germany
³ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Munich, Grosshadern Campus, Marchioninistrasse 15, Munich 81377, Germany

Correspondence: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Hauke Winter, MD; E-mail: hwinter{at}med.uni-muenchen.de

Background: The prognosis of patients with metastasized head and neck cancer is poor. Limited experience exists with the benefit of resection of lung metastases and systematic mediastinal and hilar lymph node dissection on survival of patients with head and neck carcinoma.

Methods: Eighty patients undergoing metastasectomy for pulmonary metastases of primary head and neck cancer entered the study. Multivariate analysis was performed by Cox regression analysis. Survival differences between patients operated and those not operated on were analyzed by matched pair analysis.

Results: From 1984 until 2006, pulmonary metastases were diagnosed in 332 patients treated for head and neck cancer; 80 of these were admitted to our department for resection. Metastases of the primary head and neck tumor were confirmed histologically in 67 patients. The median overall survival after resection of lung metastases was 19.4 months and was statistically significantly better compared with patients who were not operated on (P < .001). The multivariate analysis after metastasectomy revealed that incomplete resection of pulmonary lesions, complications associated with surgery, and adjuvant therapy of the primary tumor are independent negative prognostic factors for survival. We observed a trend to improved survival in patients without hilar or mediastinal lymph node metastases.

Conclusion: The survival rate of patients operated on was statistically significantly higher than that of patients with conservative treatment. Even patients with multiple or bilateral pulmonary lesions after curative treatment of a primary tumor should be operated on if there is no contraindication against an extended surgical procedure and a complete resection of the metastases seems achievable.

Key Words: Pulmonary metastases • Surgical resection • Head and neck cancer • Survival • Prognostic factors • Lymph node dissection

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