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World J Gastroenterol. May 28, 2014; 20(20): 6133-6145
Published online May 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6133
Published online May 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6133
Pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal cancer: How many nodules, how many times?
Hong Kwan Kim, Jong Ho Cho, Jhingook Kim, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135-710, South Korea
Ho Yun Lee, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135-710, South Korea
Jeeyun Lee, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135-710, South Korea
Author contributions: Kim HK, Cho JH and Kim J designed the research; Kim HK and Cho JH performed the research and analyzed the data; Kim HK, Cho JH, Lee HY, Lee J and Kim J wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Jhingook Kim, MD, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 53 Myeongnyun 3(sam)ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul 135-710, South Korea. jkimsmc@skku.edu
Telephone: +82-2-34101696 Fax: +82-2-34106986
Received: September 28, 2013
Revised: November 1, 2013
Accepted: March 4, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2014
Processing time: 241 Days and 14 Hours
Revised: November 1, 2013
Accepted: March 4, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2014
Processing time: 241 Days and 14 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Pulmonary metastasectomy is now the accepted treatment of choice in the multimodal management of metastatic colorectal cancer. There is no absolute contraindication for pulmonary metastasectomy as long as complete resection can be achieved. However, there are still many questions regarding the proper indication of pulmonary metastasectomy, for example: How many times can pulmonary metastasectomy be performed for recurrent pulmonary metastases? How many nodules can be resected safely and effectively in patients with recurrent and multiple metastatic nodules? This article reviews the different therapeutic strategies for patients with pulmonary metastases of colorectal cancer, with a particular focus on these questions.