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Role of surgery in the treatment of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer

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Abstract

Background: Patients whose brain metastases from breast cancer are treated nonsurgically have a median length of survival ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 months, and a median time to recurrence ranging from 2 to 5 months. Patients treated with radiotherapy have a median length of survival ranging from 3 to 4 months. Those treated with chemotherapy have a median length of survival ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 months.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis on 63 patients treated over a 10-year period. Only patients who underwent surgery for nonrecurrent brain metastases were studied. Sixty-one patients (97%) underwent surgery within 2 weeks of diagnosis of the brain metastases.

Results: The median length of survival was 16 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 11 to 22 months), and the 5-year survival rate was 17% (CI 9% to 29%). Brain metastases recurred in 27 patients at a median interval of 15 months (CI 12 to 24 months). Eleven patients had local recurrence, 10 had distal recurrence, and seven developed leptomeningeal disease. Significant prognosticators of length of survival were age (p=0.011), menopause status (p=0.10), postoperative radiotherapy (p=0.054), preoperative neurologic status (p=0.011), and preoperative systemic disease status (p=0.0003). Systemic disease status had a significant effect on the length of survival but not on the time to recurrence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Daniel R. Pieper MD

  2. the Department of Biomathematics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Kenneth R. Hess PhD

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Box 64, 77030, Houston, TX, USA

    Daniel R. Pieper MD &  Raymond E. Sawaya MD

Authors
  1. Daniel R. Pieper MD
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  2. Kenneth R. Hess PhD
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  3. Raymond E. Sawaya MD
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Pieper, D.R., Hess, K.R. & Sawaya, R.E. Role of surgery in the treatment of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology 4, 481–490 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02303672

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02303672

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