Abstract
ABSTRACT Background Up to 40% of metastatic breast cancer patients (pts) are diagnosed with brain metastases (BM) during their course of diseases. Some case reports and small patient series have indicated that breast cancer pts with the brain as only metastatic site (“brain-only”) may have a more favourable prognosis than BM pts with more widespread metastatic disease. Methods We identified all breast cancer pts with BM treated at our institution between 1990 and 2011. For each patient, full information on follow up and administered therapies was mandatory for inclusion. Estrogen-receptor (ER), progesterone-receptor and HER2 status were determined according to standard protocols. We performed statistical analyses including computation of survival probabilities. Results Overall, 223 female pts (26.0% luminal subtype; 47.5% HER2 subtype; 26.5% triple negative subtype) with BM of metastatic breast cancer were included in this study. In 60/223 pts (26.9%) the brain was the first metastatic site. Brain as first metastatic site was significantly less common in the HER2-positive subtype than in luminal and triple negative subtypes (p = 0.005). 38/223 (17%) of BM pts did not develop extracranial metastases (ECM) during their disease course and were classified as “brain-only” cases. Brain-only metastatic behaviour was not associated with breast cancer subtype or number of BM. The median OS of the brain-only pts was 11 months (range 0-69) and was significantly longer than in pts with BM and ECM (5 months, range 0 to 104) (p = 0.007). High KPS (p = 0.02), single BM (p Conclusions Among breast cancer pts with BM, brain-only metastatic behaviour is not associated with breast cancer subtype, but with favourable survival prognosis. Exploitation of all multimodal treatment options is warranted in breast cancer pts with brain-only metastatic disease, as long-term survival is not uncommon in this patient population. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
