[Bifocal excision in the treatment of bronchial carcinoma revealed by cerebral metastasis (author's transl)].

Between 1964 and 1980, 17 patients operated upon for cerebral metastasis as initial presentation of bronchial cancer underwent excision of the thoracic tumour 24 to 131 days later. One patient died post-operatively of acute pneumopathy. Nine patients showed signs of recurrent cerebral malignancy after a 55 to 904 days' delay. Increase in life expectancy and regression of neurological symptoms justify this bifocal surgical strategy. Using cerebral and thoracic radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy as supplementary measures seems rational and likely to improve the present results.