Pulmonary metastases in patients with cervical carcinoma

The records of five hundred and eighty-six patients treated for cervical carcinoma were reviewed at the Department of obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 1985 to June 1995. Twenty-two patients(3.4%) revealed to have pulmonary metastases. The median age of patients with cervical cancers was 51.2 years(range, 37-70 years). The incidence of pulmonary metastases in patients with cervical carcinomas was 2.0% in stage I, 3.1% in stage II, 8.8% in stage III, and 22.2% in stage IV, respectively. Histologically, all patients had squamous cell carcinomas. The median time interval from initial cervical cancer diagnosis to lung metastases was 31.5 months(range, 4-59 months), and histologic documentation of the pulmonary lesions actually was obtained in 12 patients(54.5%). The diagnosis of pulmonary metastasis in 5 patients without symptoms was made by routine periodic chest X rays. The most common X ray pattern was multiple nodules(27.3%) and pleural effusion(27.3%). 50% of the patients had other distant metastatic lesions. The main treatment for these patients was chemotherapy based on platinum, and surgical resection of the pulmonary lesion may be an effective treatment for the patients who have no lesions in other site.restrictio