Head and neck cancers, SCC in particular, often metastasize
to the lungs.1,2 Because these metastases respond relatively
poorly to chemotherapy, surgery has become an alternate
therapeutic option as long as: (i) the primary tumor has been
controlled; (ii) the metastases are limited to the lung and can
be completely resected; and (iii) the patient can tolerate the
procedure. Several studies have described the effectiveness
of surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases of various
cancers, such as colorectal cancer and osteosarcoma.1,3,4
Although there are few studies of head and neck cancers,
the evidence available thus far suggests that pulmonary
metastasectomies for these cancers may also significantly
improve the prognosis and prolong the median and overall
survival compared with other or no therapeutic attempts.3,5
The reported five-year survival after pulmonary metastasectomy
of head and neck cancers ranges between
50–60%.6,7 Including our results, this seems to be an acceptable
aim of therapy.