The management of pulmonary aspergilloma is still a topic of discussion. Demonstrating several cases of pulmonary aspergilloma, their clinical course and their follow-up, we try to contribute some arguments for the preference of an early operation. Between 1992 and 1998, 18 patients underwent thoracotomy for treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma. The most common indication for operation were hemoptysis [6] and indeterminate mass [6]. Lobectomy was the most frequent operation [11]. Underlying diseases were bronchiectasis [10], tuberculosis [3], carcinoma [2], blebs [2], and epitheloid granuloma. Two patients had postoperative complications, another three died later in the clinical course because of liver failure, septicemia, and persisting air leakage and sepsis. We recommend early resection of symptomatic, cavitating aspergilloma in the simple form and even with an inflammatory reaction of the surrounding tissue. Especially low-risk patients profit highly from an early operation. High-risk patients should be operated on only in cases of life-threatening complications.

Over a 5-year period (1990 to 1995) 425 patients were operated on for rectal cancer. There were 48 local recurrences, 15 with additional distant metastases, 61 patients only had distant metastases. In our patients we found as a well known fact an increasing number of local recurrences and distant metastases with an increasing T-or N stage, no metastases in cases of low tumor grading (28/425 G1), but a high increase comparing patients with or without blood vessel invasion (V 12.3%, V1 42.9%). Lymphatic vessel invasion also shows a higher rate of local recurrences and distant metastases, even in nodal and blood vessel negative patients (L0, N0, V0 6.7%, L1, N0, V0 60%).L-and V-positive patients should be included in a postoperative adjuvant therapy regime as well (together with all cases Stage II and III UICC), even in nodal negative cases.