bubble_chart Overview

Malignant tumors originating from other parts of the body that metastasize to the lungs via blood or lymphatic pathways are quite common. Statistics show that approximately 20-30% of cases who die from malignant tumors have lung metastases. The timing of lung metastasis in malignant tumors varies widely; most cases occur within 3 years after the primary cancer appears, but some can take as long as 10 years or more. However, in a few cases, lung metastases are discovered earlier than the primary tumor. Primary malignant tumors that metastasize to the lungs often originate from the breast, bones, digestive tract, and genitourinary system. Most metastatic lung tumors are multiple lesions scattered throughout both lungs, varying in size but with uniform density. For these advanced-stage cancer cases, there is currently no effective treatment. In a few cases where there is only a single isolated metastatic lesion in the lung, surgical treatment may be considered.

bubble_chart Clinical Manifestations

Clinically, isolated pulmonary metastases generally do not present obvious symptoms and are mostly detected during chest X-ray examinations for follow-up of the primary tumor. A small number of cases may exhibit cough and bloody sputum.

bubble_chart Diagnosis

The diagnosis of pulmonary metastatic tumors is primarily based on the presence of nodular masses on chest X-rays combined with a history or diagnosis of primary cancer. The positive rate of sputum cytology is very low, bronchoscopy is often negative, and a single isolated pulmonary metastatic tumor is difficult to distinguish from primary peripheral lung cancer.

bubble_chart Treatment Measures

Cases with extensive bilateral lung metastases are not candidates for surgical treatment. For a small number of cases where there is only a single metastatic nodule in the lung, or a few metastatic lesions confined to one lobe or one side of the lung, surgical treatment should be considered if the primary tumor has been controlled after treatment, there is no local recurrence, no other metastatic lesions are found in other parts of the body through various examinations, and the patient's overall condition can tolerate lung resection. However, the extent of lung resection should be as conservative as possible, generally limited to wedge resection or segmental/lobectomy. Postoperative antitumor drug therapy should be administered based on the pathological diagnosis of the tumor. In some cases, after the removal of metastatic lesions, new isolated metastatic lesions may appear in the lungs after several months or years. As long as there are no metastases in other organs or tissues, lung resection can be performed again.

bubble_chart Prognosis

The 5-year survival rate after surgical resection of isolated pulmonary metastases can exceed 30%, and patients whose primary tumors develop lung metastases more than 3 years after radical treatment have a better prognosis.