Abstract
Brain metastases are neoplasms that originate in tissues outside the brain and spread secondarily to involve the brain [1] This may result either from direct local extension of the primary growth, or from blood born metastases [2]. The intracranial compartment is a common site of metastatic cancer. Between 20 and 40% of patients with systemic cancer developed brain metastasis. Such metastasis can be extra axial in nature (e.g. involving the dura and subdural space, or leptomeninges and subarchnoid space), but most commonly they occur within the brain parenchyma [3].
Highlights
Brain metastases are neoplasms that originate in tissues outside the brain and spread secondarily to involve the brain [1] This may result either from direct local extension of the primary growth, or from blood born metastases [2]
Manegement patients (52%) had an operation for the metastatic brain tumor, 6 of them (24%) had a burr-hole biopsy, and 7 (28%) had a craniotomy operation or posterior fossa craniectomy. 12 patients (48%) were refereed for the Institute of Nuclear Medicine to treat them with radiotherapy [29,30] In the 7 patients who had a craniotomy or posterior fossa craniectomy operation, total removal of the metastatic tumor was achieved in 4 patients (57.1%), subtotal removal in 2 patients (28.5%) and only a biopsy was taken in the remaining 1 patients (14.2%) (Table 12)
The metastases from breast cancers in our study were found in 20% of the patients and this is comparable with 22.6% in Simionescu study but is more than the 10% recorded in the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, ] and the 5% recorded by Chevalier TL et al study.43The metastatic tumors of unknown primary were found in 40% of our patients which is higher than 11.8% recorded by the Simionescu study 3 and the 10% recorded by the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Summary
Brain metastases are neoplasms that originate in tissues outside the brain and spread secondarily to involve the brain [1] This may result either from direct local extension of the primary growth, or from blood born metastases [2]. Between 20 and 40% of patients with systemic cancer developed brain metastasis. Such metastasis can be extra axial in nature (e.g. involving the dura and subdural space, or leptomeninges and subarchnoid space), but most commonly they occur within the brain parenchyma [3]. Metastatic brain tumor derived from cancer of lung are the most common type, making up 40-60% of the total, followed by those derived from breast cancers (1520%) and melanoma (10-20%) depending whether the data come from a clinical or autopsy series. Colorectal and renal cell carcinoma account for 5-10% each. These five sources are responsible for most cerebral metastasis. In patients younger than 21 years of age, brain metastases arise most often from sarcomas (Ostoegenic sarcoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, and Ewing’s sarcoma) and from germ cell tumors (e.g. neuroblastoma)
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