Objective: To describe demographic characteristics, surgical results, postoperative complications, and overall survival rates in surgically treated patients with lung metastases. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 119 patients who underwent a total of 154 lung metastasis resections between 1997 and 2011. Results: Among the 119 patients, 68 (57.1%) were male and 108 (90.8%) were White. The median age was 52 years (range, 15-75 years). In this sample, 63 patients (52.9%) presented with comorbidities, the most common being systemic arterial hypertension (69.8%) and diabetes (19.0%). Primary colorectal tumors (47.9%) and musculoskeletal tumors (21.8%) were the main sites of origin of the metastases. Approximately 24% of the patients underwent more than one resection of the lesions, and 71% had adjuvant treatment prior to metastasectomy. The rate of lung metastasis recurrence was 19.3%, and the median disease-free interval was 23 months. The main surgical access used was thoracotomy (78%), and the most common approach was wedge resection with segmentectomy (51%). The rate of postoperative complications was 22%, and perioperative mortality was 1.9%. The overall survival rates at 12, 36, 60, and 120 months were 96%, 77%, 56%, and 39%, respectively. A Cox analysis confirmed that complications within the first 30 postoperative days were associated with poor prognosis (hazard ratio = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.09-3.06; p = 0.02). Conclusions: Surgical treatment of lung metastases is safe and effective, with good overall survival, especially in patients with fewer metastases.396650658Aberg, T., Malmberg, K.A., Nilsson, B., Nöu, E., The effect of metastasectomy: Fact or fiction? (1980) Ann Thorac Surg., 30 (4), pp. 378-384. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0003-4975(10)61278-7Weinlechner, J.D., Tumorenan der brustwand und derenbehand-lung (Resektion der rippen, eroffnung der brusthohle, partielleentfernun der lunge) (1882) Wiener Med Wschr., 20, pp. 589-591Ehrenhaft, J.L., Pulmonary resections for metastatic lesions (1951) AMA Arch Surg., 63 (3), pp. 326-336. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1951.01250040332007, PMid:14868186Fujisawa, T., Yamaguchi, Y., Saitoh, Y., Sekine, Y., Iizasa, T., Mitsunaga, S., Factors influencing survival following pulmonary resection for metastatic colorectal carcinoma (1996) Tohoku J Exp Med., 180 (2), pp. 153-160. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1620/tjem.180.153, PMid:9111764Dellai, R.C.A., Chojniak, R., Marques, E., Younes, R.N., Detecção de nódulos pulmonares por tomografia computadorizada em pacientes com metástases pulmonares submetidos à cirurgia (1994) J Pneumol., 20 (SUPPL. 3), p. 28Thomford, N.R., Woolner, L.B., Clagett, O.T., The surgical treatment of metastatic tumors in the lungs (1965) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg., 49, pp. 357-363. , PMid:14265951Morales-Blanhir, J.E., Palafox Vidal, C.D., Rosas Romero Mde, J., García Castro, M.M., Londono Villegas, A., Zamboni, M., Six-minute walk test: A valuable tool for assessing pulmonary impairment (2011) J Bras Pneumol., 37 (1), pp. 110-117. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1806-37132011000100016, PMid:21390439Younes, R.N., Haddad, F., Ferreira, F., Gross, J.L., Surgical removal of pulmonary metastasis: Prospective study in 182 patients [Article in Portuguese] (1998) Rev Assoc Med Bras., 44 (3), pp. 218-225. , PMid:9755551Moore, K.H., McCaughan, B.C., Surgical resection for pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer (2001) ANZ J Surg., 71 (3), pp. 143-146. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1622.2001.02057.xPfannschmidt, J., Muley, T., Hoffmann, H., Dienemann, H., Prognostic factors and survival after complete resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma: Experiences in 167 patients (2003) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg., 126 (3), pp. 732-739. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5223(03)00587-7Rena, O., Casadio, C., Viano, F., Cristofori, R., Ruffini, E., Filosso, P.L., Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer: Factors influencing prognosis. Twenty-year experience (2002) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg., 21 (5), pp. 906-912. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1010-7940(02)00088-XSaito, Y., Omiya, H., Kohno, K., Kobayashi, T., Itoi, K., Teramachi, M., Pulmonary metastasectomy for 165 patients with colorectal carcinoma: A prognostic assessment (2002) J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg., 124 (5), pp. 1007-1013. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/mtc.2002.125165, PMid:12407386Toscano, E., (1991) Tratamento cirúrgico das metástases nodulares do pulmão, , [thesis] Rio de Janeiro: Universidade Federal FluminenseRama, N., Monteiro, A., Bernardo, J.E., Eugénio, L., Antunes, M.J., Lung metastases from colorectal cancer: Surgical resection and prognostic factors (2009) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg., 35 (3), pp. 444-449. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcts.2008.10.047, PMid:19136273Pfannschmidt, J., Dienemann, H., Hoffmann, H., Surgical resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer: A systematic review of published series (2007) Ann Thorac Surg., 84 (1), pp. 324-338. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2007.02.093, PMid:17588454Ike, H., Shimada, H., Ohki, S., Togo, S., Yamaguchi, S., Ichikawa, Y., Results of aggressive resection of lung metastases from colorectal carcinoma detected by intensive follow-up (2002) Dis Colon Rectum., 45 (4), pp. 468-473. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10350-004-6222-0, discussion 473-5 PMid:12006927Inoue, M., Ohta, M., Iuchi, K., Matsumura, A., Ideguchi, K., Yasumitsu, T., Benefits of surgery for patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal carcinoma (2004) Ann Thorac Surg., 78 (1), pp. 238-244. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2004.02.017, PMid:15223436Monteiro, A., Arce, N., Bernardo, J., Eugénio, L., Antunes, M.J., Surgical resection of lung metastases from epithelial tumors (2004) Ann Thorac Surg., 77 (2), pp. 431-437. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2003.06.012, PMid:14759411Groeger, A.M., Kandioler, M.R., Mueller, M.R., End, A., Eckersberger, F., Wolner, E., Survival after surgical treatment of recurrent pulmonary metastases (1997) Eur J Cardiothorac Surg., 12, pp. 703-705. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1010-7940(97)00239-XMauro Rossi, B., Lopes, A., Paulo Kowalski, L., de Oliveira Regazzini, R.C., Prognostic factors in 291 patients with pulmonary metastases submitted to thoracotomy (1995) Sao Paulo Med J., 113 (3), pp. 910-916. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-31801995000300005, PMid:8728726Kanemitsu, Y., Kato, T., Hirai, T., Yasui, K., Preoperative probability model for predicting overall survival after resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer (2004) Br J Surg., 91 (1), pp. 112-120. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bjs.4370, PMid:14716804Lee, W.S., Yun, S.H., Chun, H.K., Lee, W.Y., Yun, H.R., Kim, J., Pulmonary resection for metastases from colorectal cancer: Prognostic factors and survival (2007) Int J Colorectal Dis., 22 (6), pp. 699-704. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00384-006-0218-2, PMid:17109105