Seven-Year "Cure" of Lung Cancer With Metastasis to the Brain

Abstract

To the Editor.— Pulmonary resection is considered to be contraindicated in patients with carcinoma of the lung who have cerebral metastases.¹ Recommendations for proper therapy of a solitary cerebral metastasis vary widely. Knight thought that both the primary and secondary growths should be excised, and found a definite prolongation of the patient's life thereby.² Others^3-6 also indicated that if the metastatic lesion is single and located in an accessible part of the brain, extirpation may result in a longer survival time, with relief of many distressing and disabling symptoms. Flavell reported a patient who was alive, well, and working ten years after resection of both the pulmonary tumor and the cerebral metastasis.⁷ Bakay reported five-year survival after resection of an intracranial metastasis followed by radiation therapy to the primary lesion.⁸ At autopsy, a huge brain cyst was found, but there was no residual tumor in