Survival, disease-free interval, and associated tumor features in patients with colon/rectal carcinomas and their resected intra-pulmonary metastases

Abstract

Pulmonary metastases occur even in patients with limited tumor-stages of primary colon/rectum cancer. DFI is the major parameter to estimate the total survival of patients with lung metastases. The survival after thoracotomy depends on the number of metastases, the intrapulmonary tumor load and the presence of elevated serum CEA level prior to thoracotomy.