"If cancer is detected outside the site of the disease, it has metastasized."
If cancer is detected outside the site of the disease, it has metastasized. In other words, if cancer tissue that develops in the breast or large intestine or any other organ of the body is detected in the lung parenchyma; this is called metastasis to the lung.
It is detected by lung imaging during the follow-up of existing cancer. Lung tomography and subsequent PET-CT will often be helpful. Rarely, MRI and other tests will be required.
Is Surgical Treatment Performed?
The place of surgery is undisputed, provided various conditions are met. Decisions are made in a council setting with medical oncology consultations.
If the existing cancer is under control, removing cancerous lung tissue from intact lung tissue will often prolong life if various conditions are met.
What Does Cancer Under Control Mean?
In essence, it can be said that the already existing cancer has been completely destroyed by various treatment methods and that there is no longer any evidence of cancer. In other words, cancerous tissue has not developed again in the place of the tumor tissue that has been completely removed by surgery. For example, let’s assume that a patient with colon cancer has been treated surgically and the cancerous tissue and surrounding lymph nodes have been completely removed. Provided that the surgical margins are clean, regardless of the presence or absence of additional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, if the operated colon area is clean in the follow-up of the patient, but there is cancerous tissue of the colon in the lung tissue, we say that these situations are “suitable for metastasis surgery”.
What are the Conditions for Surgery?
Apart from the primary (initial cancerous tissue) disease, organs other than the lung are always required to be clear of cancerous tissue. In addition, the organ to be operated on for metastasis must be cleared of all cancer splashes. In other words, if there are 5 metastasized areas in the lung, all these 5 areas must be in the clearable area. In this respect, the number is important in some cases. Despite all preoperative examinations, there may be rare cases that cannot be removed during surgery. In cases such as sarcoma metastases, the number of metastases is more flexible in terms of the margin for surgical indication, and it is possible to surgically remove a larger number of metastases.
Is Closed Surgery (VATS) Performed?
In today’s conditions, surgery is almost always performed by VATS (closed examination). There are cases where open surgery is required and it is rarely necessary. Patients are usually discharged within 2-3 days, depending on their condition.
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