Despite the ever-widening horizons of surgery, resection of metastatic malignant lesions, especially multiple metastatic malignant lesions, has not reached a point of full acceptance by the medical profession. The idea is not a new one, for as long ago as 1853 Kroenlein1 reported a case. Since that time other reports have appeared in the literature, and, as one might expect, the number of reports has increased in recent years. Nevertheless, experience with operation for metastatic malignancy remains both limited and incomplete, especially as to long-term follow-up studies.
At the present time surgical resection of solitary pulmonary metastases is on rather firm ground. Alexander and Haight2 collected 24 cases from the literature in 1947. Experience at the Mayo Clinic was reported by Hood and associates3 in 1955; they included a total of 43 cases. Of interest is the fact that their first resection took place in 1941, and