Median sternotomy for metastatic lung lesions in 131 patients.

Aggressive management of malignant primary tumors and their metastatic manifestations is associated with improved survival outcomes. As investigators continue to focus attention on the ablation or control of pulmonary metastatic foci, surgery is gaining importance in the treatment of metastatic disease to the lungs and, in this context, is adjunctive to other therapeutic modalities. At Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI), median sternotomy is preferred to unilateral or staged bilateral thoracotomies, since the former provides simultaneous access to both hemithoraces, whereas its lower morbidity facilitates the earlier resumption of systemic therapy. The RPMI experience, amassed from 131 patients and using this procedure, is presented and analyzed with respect to patient survival.