Oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer: is there a role for locoregional therapy?

Until recently, distant metastatic involvement was considered to be a generalized state of disseminated disease with a very poor prognosis, in clear contrast to those patients without any evidence of metastatic spread. Some years ago, the concept of oligometastatic disease emerged representing patients with only a few or “oligo” metastases (1). At major lung cancer conferences this remains a hotly debated topic focused on the question whether there really exists an intermediate state in-between patients without distant metastases and those with multiple metastatic involvement in one or more distant organs (2).