Diagnosis Of Brain Metastases Research Articles

Clinical and molecular characteristics of patients with brain metastasis secondary to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The prognosis for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poor. Secondary brain metastasis (Br-M) occurs in less than 1% of patients. Clinical characteristics and molecular alterations have not been characterized in this rare patients' subset. The Foundry software platform was used to retrospectively query electronic health records for patients with Br-M secondary to PDAC from 2005 to 2023; clinical, molecular, and overall survival (OS) data were analyzed. Br-M was diagnosed in 44 patients with PDAC. Median follow-up was 78 months; median OS from initial PDAC diagnosis was 47 months. Median duration from PDAC diagnosis to Br-M detection was 24 months; median OS from Br-M diagnosis was 3 months. At Br-M diagnosis, 82% (n = 36) of patients had elevated CA19-9. Lung was the most common preexisting metastatic location (71%) with Br-M, followed by liver (66%). Br-M were most frequently observed in the frontal lobe (34%, n = 15), cerebellar region (23%, n = 10), and leptomeninges (18%, n = 8). KRAS mutations were detected in 94.1% (n = 16) of patients who had molecular data available (n = 17) with KRASG12V being the most frequent subtype 47% (n = 8); KRASG12D in 29% (n = 5); KRASG12R in 18% (n = 3). Patients who underwent Br-M surgical resection (n = 5) had median OS of 8.6 months, while median OS following stereotactic radiosurgery only (n = 11) or whole-brain radiation only (n = 20) was 3.3 and 2.8 months, respectively. Br-M is a late PDAC complication, resulting in an extremely poor prognosis especially in leptomeningeal disease. KRAS was mutated in 94.1% of the patients and the KRASG12V subtype was prevalent.

Intracranial management of HER-2 overexpression breast cancer with extensive volume or symptomatic brain metastases.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of high intracranial burden and symptomatic presentation of brain metastases on treatment outcomes in patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer. Through a retrospective analysis, we explored the intracranial responses following the application of HER-2 targeted therapy alone or in combination with other modalities and further elucidated the relationship between treatment efficacy, intracranial progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and the burden of intracranial lesions and symptomatic presentations. A retrospective analysis was conducted on cases of HER-2 overexpressing breast cancer patients with brain metastases. Clinical records were reviewed to extract patient demographics, treatment modalities, and intracranial disease characteristics. Intracranial tumor burden was quantified at diagnosis and post-initial treatment. High intracranial tumor burden was defined as either total metastatic volume >15 cc, or the largest lesion >3 cm. Responses were assessed using established criteria. The correlation between intracranial disease parameters and intracranial progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was determined. The study comprised 65 patients with HER-2 overexpression breast cancer and brain metastases. Symptomatic presentation was observed in 69.2% of patients at the diagnosis of brain metastases. Treatment with HER-2 target therapy alone or in combination with other modalities resulted in substantial intracranial responses, with 81.5% achieving at least a partial response at 3 months from therapy initiation. Median intracranial PFS and OS for patients with high intracranial burden were 9 and 22 months, respectively. Patients with high intracranial burden and symptomatic presentation at diagnosis demonstrated worse PFS and OS to those with lower burden and absence of symptoms (p < 0.05 for each). Her-2 overexpressing breast cancer and brain metastases face significant challenges, particularly those with high intracranial tumor burden, which correlates with poorer outcomes and higher incidence of leptomeningeal metastasis. Most patients responded positively to initial therapies, especially anti-HER-2 treatments combined with radiotherapy. Larger tumors necessitated more comprehensive treatment approaches, such as WBRT and SRS. Key factors influencing intracranial tumor control included the Ki-67 index, intracranial tumor burden, and continuous use of HER-2 targeted therapy post-diagnosis.

Brain Metastases from Thyroid Carcinoma: Prognostic Factors and Outcomes.

Intracranial metastases from thyroid cancer are rare. Although the prognosis of thyroid cancer patients is generally favorable, the prognosis of patients with intracranial metastases from thyroid cancer has been considered unfavorable owing to lower survival rates among such patients compared to those without intracranial involvement. Many questions about their management remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes of patients with brain metastases from thyroid cancer. Among 4320 patients with thyroid cancer recorded in our institutional database over a 30-year period, the data of 20 patients with brain metastasis were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The clinical characteristics, histological type of primary cancer and metastatic brain tumor, additional previous distant metastasis, treatment modalities, locations and characteristics on radiologic findings, time interval between the first diagnosis of primary thyroid cancer and brain metastasis, and survival were analyzed. Among our patient cohort, the mean age at initial diagnosis was 59.3 ± 14.1 years, and at the manifestation of diagnosis of cerebral metastasis, the mean age was found to be 64.8 ± 14.9 years. The histological types of primary thyroid cancer were identified as papillary in ten patients, follicular in seven, and poorly differentiated carcinoma in three. The average interval between the diagnosis of thyroid cancer and brain metastasis was 63.4 ± 58.4 months (range: 0-180 months). Ten patients were identified as having a single intracranial lesion, and ten patients were found to have multiple lesions. Surgical resection was primarily performed in fifteen patients, and whole-brain radiotherapy, radiotherapy, or tyrosine kinase inhibitors were applied in the remaining five patients. The overall median survival time was 15 months after the diagnosis of BMs from TC (range: 1-252 months). Patients with thyroid cancer can develop brain metastasis even many years after the diagnosis of the primary tumor. The results of our study demonstrate increased overall survival in patients younger than 60 years of age at the time of diagnosis of brain metastasis. There was no difference in survival between patients with brain metastasis from papillary carcinoma and those with follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Translation and validation of the Neurological Assessment in Neuro-Oncology scale to Brazilian Portuguese.

The Neurological Assessment for Neuro-Oncology (NANO) scale was elaborated to assess neurologic function in integration with radiological criteria to evaluate neuro-oncological patients in clinical setting and enable the standardization of neurological assessment in clinical trials. The objective of this study is the translation to Brazilian Portuguese and transcultural adaptation of NANO scale in patients with the diagnosis of glioblastoma, brain metastasis and low-grade glioma. Patients with diagnosis of glioblastoma, brain metastasis, and low-grade glioma were prospectively evaluated between July 2019 and July 2021. The process of translating and cross-culturally adapting the NANO scale included: translation from English to Portuguese, synthesis and initial revision by an expert committee, back-translation from Portuguese to English, a second revision by the expert committee, and the application of the NANO scale. Regarding the reliability of the NANO scale, Cronbach's alpha was employed to measure the internal consistency of all scale items and assess the impact of item deletion. Additionally, Spearman's correlation test was used to evaluate the convergent validity between the NANO scale and Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). One hundred and seventy-four patients were evaluated. A statistically significant inverse relation (p < 0.001) between KPS and NANO scale was founded. The Cronbach's alpha values founded for NANO scale were 0.803 for glioblastoma, 0.643 for brain metastasis, and 0.482 for low grade glioma. The NANO scale Brazilian Portuguese version proves to be reproducible and valid to evaluate neuro-oncological patients with glioblastoma and brain metastasis, presenting a strong correlation with KPS scale. Further studies are warranted to assess the validity and reliability of the scale in patients diagnosed with low-grade glioma.

Case report of two long term ovarian cancer survivors with brain metastases following multimodal treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and maintenance olaparib: An institutional case series and literature review

Brain metastasis from ovarian cancer is a very rare condition with a poor prognosis. However, due to its rarity, there is no established treatment strategy. We present a case series of brain metastasis with ovarian cancer, focusing on two long-term survivors treated with multimodal therapy. Among the nine cases, the median survival time after brain metastases was six months (range: 0–58 months). Eight patients had high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). Three of the four patients who underwent genetic testing tested positive for germline BRCA2 (gBRCA2) mutation. Two patients survived longer than 4 years after the diagnosis of brain metastases. Both of these patients received chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and olaparib, a molecularly targeted drug, as maintenance therapy. This case series suggests that patients with gBRCA2 mutation-positive HGSC may be at a high risk of developing brain metastases. A multidisciplinary approach, including PARP inhibitors, may improve the prognosis of patients with brain metastases from ovarian cancer.

Blood Neurofilament Light Chain and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein as Promising Screening Biomarkers for Brain Metastases in Patients with Lung Cancer.

The diagnosis of brain metastases (BMs) in patients with lung cancer (LC) predominantly relies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a method that is constrained by high costs and limited accessibility. This study explores the potential of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) as screening biomarkers for BMs in LC patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 700 LC cases at the National Cancer Center, Korea, from July 2020 to June 2022, measuring sNfL and sGFAP levels at initial LC diagnosis. The likelihood of BM was evaluated using multivariate analysis and a predictive nomogram. Additionally, we prospectively monitored 177 samples from 46 LC patients initially without BM. Patients with BMs (n= 135) had significantly higher median sNfL (52.5 pg/mL) and sGFAP (239.2 pg/mL) levels compared to those without BMs (n = 565), with medians of 17.8 pg/mL and 141.1 pg/mL, respectively (p < 0.001 for both). The nomogram, incorporating age, sNfL, and sGFAP, predicted BM with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.877 (95% CI 0.84-0.914), showing 74.8% sensitivity and 83.5% specificity. Over nine months, 93% of samples from patients without BM remained below the cutoff, while all patients developing BMs showed increased levels at detection. A nomogram incorporating age, sNfL, and sGFAP provides a valuable tool for identifying LC patients at high risk for BM, thereby enabling targeted MRI screenings and enhancing diagnostic efficiency.

Brain metastasis risk prediction model in females with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer

BackgroundBreast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in females, and the hormone receptor-positive subtype is the most frequent. Breast cancer is a common source of brain metastases; therefore, we aimed to generate a brain metastases prediction model in females with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. MethodsThe primary cohort included 3,682 females with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated at a single center from May 2009 to May 2020. Patients were randomly divided into a training dataset (n = 2,455) and a validation dataset (n = 1,227). In the training dataset, simple logistic regression analyses were used to measure associations between variables and the diagnosis of brain metastases and to build multivariable models. The model with better calibration and discrimination capacity was tested in the validation dataset to measure its predictive performance. ResultsThe variables incorporated in the model included age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, clinical stage at diagnosis, HER2 expression, Ki-67 proliferation index, and the modified Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade. The area under the curve was 0.81 (95 % CI 0.75–0.86), p < 0.001 in the validation dataset. The study presents a guide for the clinical use of the model. ConclusionA brain metastases prediction model in females with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer helps assess the individual risk of brain metastases.

Diagnosis of brain metastasis due to lung cancer and affecting factors at “Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo” General Hospital

Background and objectives. The incidence of brain metastases is higher than primary brain tumors, with lung cancer as a common etiology at “Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo” General Hospital. Delay in diagnosis can cause brain herniation, resulting in disability and death. We aimed to investigate the compatibility between daily clinical practice and clinical practice guidelines for diagnosing brain metastases due to lung cancer at “Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo” General Hospital while also examining factors that might influence the duration of the diagnosis. Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the conformity between the duration of diagnosis of metastatic brain tumors due to lung cancer in daily clinical practice with clinical practice guidelines. Secondary data was obtained from medical records from November 2021 until June 2022. Results. Twelve subjects (30%) were diagnosed with brain metastases from lung cancer within two weeks with a median duration of 18.5 days (IQR 12-34 days). The duration of 7 days (IQR 4-11 days) was required to obtain a lung mass, 8 days (IQR 4.5-13 days) to perform a biopsy, and 6 days (IQR 3.5-7 days) to obtain t pathology results. No statistically significant relationship exists between the variables assessed and the duration of diagnosis. Conclusions. The clinical practice guidelines at “Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo” General Hospital for diagnosing brain metastases from lung cancer within two weeks could only be carried out in 30% of subjects in this study. Collaboration between departments is needed to make the diagnosis faster.

Role of microsurgical tumor burden reduction in patients with breast cancer brain metastases considering molecular subtypes: a two-center volumetric survival analysis

BackgroundAdvancements in metastatic breast cancer (BC) treatment have enhanced overall survival (OS), leading to increased rates of brain metastases (BM). This study analyzes the association between microsurgical tumor reduction and OS in patients with BCBM, considering tumor molecular subtypes and perioperative treatment approaches.MethodsRetrospective analysis of surgically treated patients with BCBM from two tertiary brain tumor Swiss centers. The association of extent of resection (EOR), gross-total resection (GTR) achievement, and postoperative residual tumor volume (RV) with OS and intracranial progression-free survival (IC-PFS) was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model.Results101 patients were included in the final analysis, most patients (38%) exhibited HER2-/HR + BC molecular subtype, followed by HER2 + /HR + (25%), HER2-/HR- (21%), and HER2 + /HR- subtypes (13%). The majority received postoperative systemic treatment (75%) and radiotherapy (84%). Median OS and intracranial PFS were 22 and 8 months, respectively. The mean pre-surgery intracranial tumor volume was 26 cm3, reduced to 3 cm3 post-surgery. EOR, GTR achievement and RV were not significantly associated with OS or IC-PFS, but higher EOR and lower RV correlated with extended OS in patients without extracranial metastases. HER2-positive tumor status was associated with longer OS, extracranial metastases at BM diagnosis and symptomatic lesions with shorter OS and IC-PFS.ConclusionsOur study found that BC molecular subtypes, extracranial disease status, and BM-related symptoms were associated with OS in surgically treated patients with BCBM. Additionally, while extensive resection to minimize residual tumor volume did not significantly affect OS across the entire cohort, it appeared beneficial for patients without extracranial metastases.

Predictors of time to brain metastasis and survival in patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

e13122 Background: Patients with breast cancer (BC) who develop brain metastases (BM) have poor survival outcomes. We aimed to identify significant predictors of time to develop BM and survival after diagnosis. Methods: Patient records were retrospectively reviewed from the Cleveland Clinic database between 2010-2020. Patients with a BC and a BM diagnosis were included for analysis. One way ANOVA was used to compare mean time to BM across subgroups (mean ± SE), and Kaplan-Meier method was used to compute median overall survival (mOS) after BM diagnosis (95% CI). Results: N=109 patients were included in the analysis with a mean age of 52 ± 13 years, mean time to developing BM of 42 ± 35 months, and mOS after BM of 12.00 months (8.99-15.01). The patients’ characteristics were as follows: female (98.2%), white (83.5%), married (56%), privately insured (43.1%), had a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) &gt;80 (61.7%), and 21% had stage IV at initial diagnosis. In terms of BC characteristics, 80.4% of cases were ductal, 63.7% were Grade III, 52.3% were HR+, and 31.5% were HER2+, and 32.4% were triple negative. Most patients had extracranial metastases (ECM) at the time of BM diagnosis (67.8%), had at least 2 sites of BM (71.6%), parenchymal only BM (75%), and 10-30 mm BM (44.2%). 15.8% of patients underwent craniotomy and 86.2% received at least one form of radiotherapy (RT) for BM. The HR+/HER2- group had the longest time to BM compared to the shortest in the triple negative group (61.29 ± 6.95 vs 28.59 months ± 4.80, p&lt;0.001). Patients receiving hormonal therapy had longer time to BM compared to those who didn’t (50.83 ± 5.04 vs 35.98 ± 4.67 months, p=0.034). Patients with Stage I disease had the longest time to develop BM (68.50 ± 13.66 months, p=0.009), while grade III status had the shortest time to BM (34.46 ± 3.46 months, p=0.002). Uninsured patients had the shortest time to BM (22.92 ± 4.09 months, p=0.003). After BM diagnosis, the HR+/HER2+ group achieved the best mOS at 35.00 months (14.20-55.80, p=0.040). Patients receiving Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS) achieved longer mOS than the other RT modalities at 30.00 months (11.46-48.51) vs 20.00 (1.26-38.74) in GKRS + Whole Brain RT (WBRT), 9.00 (3.43-14.57) in the WBRT, and 2.00 (1.12-2.88) in no RT group (p=0.022). Patients with a KPS of &lt;80 had a shorter mOS compared to those with a KPS of &gt;80 [5.00 (2.02-7.98) vs 17.00 (9.41-24.6), p=0.002]. Patients receiving hormonal therapy had longer mOS compared to those who did not [17.00 (6.58-27.43) vs 9.00 (3.72-14.28), p=0.016]. Patients with stage I disease had longer mOS compared to those with stage II-IV disease [41.00 (22.70-59.30) vs 10.00 (6.60-13.40), p=0.025]. Conclusions: This study identifies significant clinical predictors for BM development and survival in patients with BC including Hormone receptor status, treatment modalities, stage, and KPS. These findings emphasize the need for early BM screening in high-risk patients to improve survival.

Survival analysis of brain metastases secondary to breast cancer: A single-center experience.

e13111 Background: Brain metastasis (BM) contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality for breast cancer (BCa) patients (pts). Advances in systemic therapies have improved survival following BM diagnosis; however, other factors such as age, timing of BM development, and molecular features may also affect outcomes. Here we characterize the overall survival (OS) of pts with BM secondary to BCa treated at our institution with the aim of identifying predictors that can used to improve treatment and management. Methods: In an electronic medical record of “brain metastasis” and “breast cancer”, we identified pts aged &gt;18 years treated between 2015 and 2022. All cases were manually reviewed by ≥2 reviewers. Cases with second metastatic (met) solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, or insufficient data were excluded. Only cases with intraparenchymal and/or leptomeningeal disease attributed to met BCa were included. Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox regression were applied to OS. Results: Of 344 cases reviewed, 229 (1 male) were appropriate for inclusion. The median age at BM diagnosis (dx) was 58 years. 28% underwent surgical resection and 81% received radiation treatment for BM. With a median follow-up of 5 years, 82% of pts died and median OS (mOS) following BM dx was 14 months (95% CI: 9-19). Among 208 pts without de novo BM, time to BM development (mTBM) from primary BCa varied by subtype: mTBM (IQR) HR+HER2- of 6.4 years (3.9-10.5), HR+HER2+ of 3.5 years (2.0-9.1), HR-HER2+ of 2.1 years (1.2-3.1), TNBC of 2.4 years (1.1-4.9). mOS varied by BCa subtype (table, log-rank p=0.029). 41 cases had de novo met disease (met dx ≤2 months of BCa dx) with 21 (9%) having de novo BM. HER2+ BCa and shorter mTBM were associated with longer mOS (table). Pts with BM dx in 2nd or later met relapse vs. earlier BM (de novo or 1st met relapse), OS HR was 1.67 (95% CI: 1.24-2.25; p=0.001). OS did not vary by age at BM diagnosis. Conclusions: Our findings build on prior work showing differential BM survival by subtype. We observe significantly shorter post-BM survival among pts who develop BM after a second or later line of met treatment. Ongoing work will expand our database and explore molecular features of resected brain tumors. [Table: see text]

Effect of the timing of recurrence on survival among patients with breast cancer with brain metastasis.

e14005 Background: Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) and brain metastasis (BM) have poor prognosis. There is a lack of data on the effects of timing of MBC diagnosis [de novo (d) vs recurred (r) MBC] and BM diagnosis [dBM vs later onset (lo) BM] on overall survival (OS). We conducted a natural history-type study to investigate these effects among MBC BM patients. Methods: The data for this retrospective single institute study was extracted from a database of MBC BM patients diagnosed with BM from Jan 2010 to June 2021. Definitions: dMBC= MBC at initial diagnosis (Dx); rMBC= MBC with prior history of early stage BC; dBM= BM diagnosed&lt; 6 weeks (wk) from MBC Dx; loBM= BM diagnosed ≥ 6 wk from MBC Dx. The following endpoints were compared between dMBC vs rMBC: 1. interval from MBC to BM Dx (Interval MBC-BM) 2. OS from MBC Dx 3. OS from BM Dx. OS from BM Dx was compared between dBM vs loBM. Median endpoints were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Cohorts were compared using the Logrank test and adjusted for other variables using Cox models. Results: Interval MBC-BM, OS from MBC Dx, and BM Dx were not statistically different between dMBC and rMBC groups in unadjusted analyses (See Table) and when adjusted in multivariate analyses. Median OS from BM Dx was significantly longer in dBM group vs loBM group (See Table). In multivariate model adjusting for variables at BM Dx (age, race, performance status, visceral disease, number of BM &gt;1cm, leptomeningeal disease, BC receptor types), risk of death was higher in loBM group vs dBM group (Hazard Ratio, HR = 0.499; p=0.006). In dMBC group, 28.1% had dBM compared to 45.6% in the rMBC (p=0.083, Chi-square test). Subset analyses: Among rMBC group, median OS from BM Dx with dBM (n=42, OS=44.3 months (m), 95% CI 19.0-Not evaluable (NE)) was significantly longer compared to loBM (n=50, OS=13.7m (6.6-21.4)), p=0.002 (LogRank Test); but among dMBC group, there was no significant difference in OS from BM Dx with dBM (n=9, OS=32.4m (12.9-122.5)) vs. with loBM (n=23, OS= 17.8m (6.6-NE)), p=0.885. Conclusions: In a retrospective database of patients with BM from BC, time from MBC to BM diagnosis, OS from MBC diagnosis, and OS from BM diagnosis did not differ between those with recurrent vs de novo MBC. Interestingly, in unadjusted and adjusted analyses, OS from BM diagnosis was longer for those with de novo BM diagnosed at/around MBC diagnosis than those whose BM was later in onset. Earlier-onset BM in the MBC disease course could be more sensitive to cancer-directed therapies. Studies are needed to test this hypothesis.[Table: see text]

Real-world quality analysis of palliative care utilization in patients with brain metastases at three academic institutes.

12080 Background: Brain metastases (BMETs) are a devastating complication of cancer, occurring in up to 30-50% of patients with advanced solid tumors. Median survival after diagnosis of BMETs can be limited, with 3-6 months survival for patients with poorer performance status (Updated Recursive Partition analysis [U-RPA] classification class 2b and 3). Early integration of palliative care (PC) can improve a patient’s quality of life. Per guidelines, patients with advanced cancer should be referred to an interdisciplinary team, including PC, early in the disease. We aimed to assess the utilization and impact of PC in patients with BMETs at three academic centers. Methods: We obtained data from the electronic medical record (EMR) of all patients diagnosed with BMETS at the University of Virginia, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the University of Vermont between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2019. Inclusion criteria were age 18+ years, diagnosis of BMETs secondary to a solid tumor malignancy (excluding leptomeningeal metastases), and &gt;3 months of follow-up treatment. Patients were included if considered at high risk for mortality, which was defined as KPS &lt;70 (U-RPA Class 3) or KPS 70-80 and age &gt; 65 (U-RPA Class 2b). Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests compared survival, hospice referral, emergency visits, readmissions, and advance directives (AD) on the file between the PC and non-PC groups. Results: In total, of the 309 patients that were assessed, 220 patients were class 2b, and 89 were class 3 per U-RPA classification. The mean age was 66 in both groups, and 167 (54%) were seen by PC. The median survival for patients seen by PC was 7.8 months compared to 8.3 months (p 0.056). There was no statistically significant difference in survival between the two groups. 80% of patients in the group seen by PC enrolled with hospice care compared to 58% in the non-PC group (p 0.0002). 80% of patients had an AD on file in the group seen by PC compared to 56% in the non-PC group (p &lt;0.0001). In terms of ED visits or re-hospitalization, there was a trend for more ED visits/readmissions in the group seen by PC compared to the non-PC group (p 0.057). Conclusions: In this real-world quality analysis, we found that there is under-utilization of formal PC consultation in patients with BMETs. There was no difference in survival between groups, indicating PC is not synonymous with end-of-life or hospice care. PC was associated with more patients completing ADs and more patients using hospice. Health systems and policy initiatives promoting palliative care utilization earlier in the disease course may support patient values and preferences at the end of life. [Table: see text]

Genomic biomarkers of CNS-specific outcomes in patients with breast cancer brain metastases.

2028 Background: The diagnosis of brain metastasis (BM) is a life- and prognosis-altering event for patients with breast cancer (BC). The standard of care for the management of limited BM remains ablation with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). There are no established genomic biomarkers to guide CNS-directed treatment among patients with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical and genomic features of a cohort of patients who received SRS for newly diagnosed BCBM between 2010 and 2021 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Next-generation genomic sequencing (NGS) was performed using the MSK-IMPACT assay, covering all exonic and selected intronic regions for up to 505 genes. Time-to-CNS progression (TTCP) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using multivariable Fine-Gray and Cox proportional hazards models, respectively, adjusted for clinically relevant factors. Relevant clinical factors and genomic alterations present at an instance at 5% or greater were included in the univariate and multivariate analyses, completed for the overall cohort and BC receptor subtypes. Results: From 2010-2021, 260 patients were identified; 123 (47%), 74 (28%), and 63 (24%) patients had hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2+, and triple-negative (TN) disease, respectively. 116 (45%) patients had 1 BM and 184 (71%) patients had at least 1 BM greater than 1 cm in axial diameter. Median follow up for the overall cohort was 18 months (Interquartile range (IQR) 9, 36). Among patients who progressed, median TTCP was 6 (IQR 4, 13) and 6 (4, 13), 11 (5, 18), and 4(3, 8) months for the overall cohort, and HR+, HER2+, and TN subgroups, respectively. Median OS was 19 (95% CI 16, 23) and 15 (13, 21), 58 (39, --), and 13 (11, 20), for the overall cohort, and HR+, HER2+, and TN subgroups, respectively. In the overall cohort, shorter TTCP was associated with TN subtype, &gt;5 BMs, and pathogenic alterations in MYC, AGO2, PTEN, AURKA, and NF1 (p &lt; 0.05); decreased OS was associated with non-HER2+ subtype, presence of extracranial metastatic disease, and oncogenic alterations in TP53, CDH1 and NF1 (p &lt; 0.05). In stratified analyses by receptor subtype, shorter TTCP was associated with oncogenic alterations in GAB2 and PTEN in the HR+ subgroup, AURKA, DDR2, and NF1 in the HER2+ subgroup, and with MYC and RB1 in the TN subgroup (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: In this large clinico-genomic analysis of CNS-specific outcomes in BC, we identified clinical and putative genomic biomarkers associated with BCBM receiving SRS that could be used to risk stratify patients and optimize treatment strategies.

Melanoma brain metastasis treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and systemic agents (SACT): A single centre perspective from Northeast England.

e21500 Background: Melanoma incidence rates in the UK will increase and given its proclivity for brain metastasis, it will be a growing challenge. Real-world survival data reflecting the impact of modern SACTs and SRS is lacking. Here we report our single-centre experience. Methods: All melanoma brain metastasis patients treated with both SRS and SACT in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK between January 2017 and January 2022 were identified. Data was collected from patient records until data-lock in January 2023. Survival analysis was performed using R (version 4.2.2). The primary objective was to measure the overall survival. Results: 51 patients were included. The median age was 60 years. Most patients had ECOG PS of 0 (43%, n = 22) or 1 (53%, n = 27). 15 (29%) had de-novo brain metastasis. 21 (41%) were on SACT before diagnosis of brain metastasis. 28 (55%) patients had solitary brain metastasis. 8 (16%) had no radiologically reported extracranial disease. Superficial spreading melanoma was the most common histological subtype (45%, n = 23). 55% (n = 26) had a sensitizing BRAF mutation. 25 patients (49%) received SRS before SACT. 12 (26%) patients had undergone primary debulking surgery. The median time to start SRS was 54 days (IQR 35 - 90) from brain metastasis diagnosis. Median extracranial progression-free survival was 25 months (95% CI 10 – NA). Median intracranial progression-free survival was 29 months (95% CI 15 – NA). 17 (33%) patients had both intra and extracranial progression. 7 (13%) had in-field intracranial progression. The median target volume was similar between subgroups that had infield (1.78mL, IQR 0.56 - 13.81), out-of-field (1.78mL, IRQ 1.62 - 3.97) or no intracranial progression (2.38mL, IQR 1.29 - 6.73). The median total dose to target was 21 Grays for all subgroups. Median overall survival was 27 months (95% CI 16 - NA). With intracranial progression, the median overall survival was 21 months (95% CI 10 –36). The survival was 15 months (95% CI 9.5 - 27) with extracranial progression, which was significantly less than without extracranial progression (HR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.11 – 0.60, p = 0.002). In the absence of intracranial progression, median overall survival was not reached. Patients with infield progression had an overall survival of 8.6 months (95% CI 6.8 – NA), HR 2.83 (95% CI 1.20 - 6.7), p = 0.018. Those with melanoma-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment score (molGPA) &gt; 2.5 had a median overall survival of 31 months (95% CI 14 – NA) with a HR of 0.73 (95% CI 0.32 - 1.64, p = 0.4). Conclusions: Survival in our cohort is notably better than reports from prior series. This is despite our catchment in the North East of England being adversely affected by health disparity. This could be explained by the selection bias of our cohort. However, in the wake of improved treatment modalities, the need for more up-to-date cancer data tracking cannot be overstated.

Radiosurgery to 5 or more newly diagnosed brain metastases in the systemic therapy era.

2026 Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an ablative modality for focal treatment of brain metastases (BM) and is standard of care for limited BM. Suitability for SRS has historically been linked to number of BM, with up to 4 BM considered amenable to SRS. JLGK0901 revealed no difference in overall survival (OS) and similar rates of adverse events for patients with 5-10 vs. 2-4 BM. Evidence supporting for SRS for &gt;10 BM is limited. As systemic treatments have evolved to include agents with improved central nervous system (CNS) efficacy and OS, the role of SRS warrants re-evaluation. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients from a single institution with ≥5 BM treated with SRS with no prior history of brain radiation 2015-2022 on an IRB-approved protocol. Clinical history, including sex, histology, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), extracranial disease status and systemic regimen used before and after diagnosis of BM, was reviewed. Systemic regimens were categorized based on potential for CNS efficacy as 1) none: no evidence, 2) weak: single agent immunotherapy or known but limited data on CNS efficacy, or 3) strong: multiple agents with known CNS efficacy, single agents with strong CNS efficacy. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival with log-rank test used to evaluate differences in survival curves. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to evaluate differences in CNS progression-free survival (CNS-PFS) and OS. Results: 558 patients (48% female) who received SRS to ≥5 BM (range 5-23) were identified. Primary histologies included: 36% non-small cell lung cancer; 22% melanoma; 14% breast; 7% renal; 5% gastrointestinal; 15% other. Median OS was 11.0 months and did not differ between patients with 5-9 (n=441) vs ≥10 BM (n=117) (median OS 11.1 vs. 10.0 months; p=0.53). Median CNS-PFS was 6.6 months and did not differ between 5-9 vs ≥ 10 BM (median CNS-PFS 6.4 vs. 7.7 p=0.86). On univariate analysis, high KPS (HR 0.96; p&lt;0.001) was associated with improved OS. Histology ( p=0.14), BM number ( p=0.53); average BM volume ( p=0.48), and systemic disease status ( p=0.17) were not associated with OS. Change of systemic therapy at time of SRS was associated with improved OS (HR 0.58; p&lt;0.001) and CNS-PFS (HR 0.63; p&lt;0.001). Amongst patients with systemic therapy change, regimens with increased CNS efficacy compared to prior therapy were associated with improved OS (HR 0.59; p&lt;0.001) and CNS-PFS (HR 0.65; p=0.002). Conclusions: In this large, retrospective analysis of patients with ≥ 5 previously untreated BM treated with SRS, we found no association between BM number and CNS-PFS or OS. Change in systemic therapy, particularly to agents with CNS efficacy, was associated with improved outcomes. While limited by biases inherent to retrospective analyses, these results suggest patients with larger number of BM (≥10) are appropriate for SRS, especially when changing to systemic therapy with CNS penetrance.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the oncogene-addicted era: A real-world UK tertiary center experience.

e14011 Background: 30-50% of NSCLC patients develop brain metastases (BM). Re-evaluation of the role of SRS is required with evolving understanding of molecular subtypes of NSCLC and increasing intracranial efficacy of systemic agents. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of NSCLC patients receiving SRS at our centre from 05/16-11/23. Primary objective was median overall survival (mOS months). Analysis was performed on Prism 10.1.1. Multivariate analysis was conducted using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression, with age, gender, KPS, BM size, total BM volume and oncogene status as predictor variables. Extraction from medical records was undertaken by authors, with local R&amp;D committee approval. Results: 237 patients were evaluable. 59% (N=139) were oncogene-addicted (oNSCLC) and 41% (N=98) non-oncogene-addicted (non-oNSCLC). Median duration of follow up was 43.3m. m OS was 11.9m overall. For oNSCLC mOS was 13.1m vs 8.8m for non-oNSCLC (HR 1.49, P=0.02). mOS was 20.7m for EGFR sensitizing NSCLC (N=48) vs 10.5m without (HR 1.40 P=0.12). mOS for ALK+ (N=22) was 29.3m vs 11.6m for non-ALK+ (HR 1.90, P=0.05). mOS for KRAS+ (N=32) was 11.6m vs 12.0m without (HR 0.91, P=0.68). Significantly inferior mOS was seen for single (N=186 [78%]) vs multiple (N=51[22%]) SRS courses (8.4m vs 38.8m, [HR 0.34 P=&lt;0.0001]). SRS at diagnosis of BM (N=118) had a mOS of 12.3m vs at nadir (N=9, not reached [HR0.44, P=0.18]), progression on 1st line TKI (N=31, 22.1m [HR 1.1, P=0.79]) and at any other time (N=157, 7.8m [HR 1.33, P=0.11 ]). There was no significant difference in survival for patients diagnosed with brain metastases at the diagnosis of metastatic disease compared to those who developed brain metastases during their disease course (12.3m vs 10.6m [HR 1.18, P=0.33]). Survival of those with 1 site of metastatic disease (18.3m) was numerically improved compared to those with 2 (10.7m, HR 1.26, P=0.25) sites, and statistically significant compared to those with 3 (10.1m, HR 1.69, P&lt;0.02) and ≥4 (4.4m, HR 4.41, P&lt;0.0001) sites. Conclusions: Median OS in oNSCLC was superior to non-oNSCLC, driven by numerically superior survival in EGFR+ and ALK+ cohorts. Significantly improved OS was observed in patients with multiple vs single SRS treatments, however this may be confounded by biases. Patients treated with SRS at nadir had numerically superior OS to those treated at other timepoints, however this must be interpreted with caution due to small sample size. Further prospective research is needed to interrogate these findings and guide local therapies in NSCLC with BM. [Table: see text]

Clinical and molecular features and survival in thyroid cancer with brain metastases.

2023 Background: Brain metastases (BM) in advanced thyroid cancer are rare; however, they may be underreported as staging brain imaging is not routine. Prognostic features and molecular alterations for this group are poorly described. We characterized the clinical and molecular features of thyroid cancer with BM and evaluated differences in survival. Methods: In this single-center retrospective analysis, patients with metastatic radioactive iodine refractory well-differentiated, poorly-differentiated, or medullary thyroid carcinoma seen at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center from 2007-2022 were included. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect clinicopathologic and treatment data. All patients had tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) by a targeted gene panel. Overall survival (OS) from initial medical oncology consultation was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Of 248 patients with advanced thyroid cancer, 41(17%) were diagnosed with BM. The median interval from thyroid cancer diagnosis to BM development was 6.49 years (y) (IQR 3.51- 14.35 y). The median age at the time of BM diagnosis was 63.6 y and 23 (56%) were male. Most (76%) were asymptomatic at the diagnosis of BM and 80% had an ECOG of 0-1. Among patients with well-differentiated histology, 27 (18%) developed BM, while 7 (12%) with poorly-differentiated and 7 (19%) with medullary thyroid cancer developed BM. The most common molecular alterations included BRAFV600E (n=19), TERT (n=11), RAS (n=9), RET (n=8), and FANCA (n=3). Patients were treated with surgery (n=5), stereotactic radiation (n=21), whole brain radiation therapy (n=12), or a combination of both (n=2). OS was similar in patients with BM compared to those without (6.05 vs 6.45 y). There were no differences in histology or molecular alterations between patients that developed BM compared to those who did not. The median survival from the time of BM was 3.23 y. Patients with BM with ≥4 lesions had worse survival (0.52 vs 5.09 y, p=0.01). There were no differences in survival based on histology, symptoms, treatment or molecular alterations among those with BM. Conclusions: This is one of the largest reported thyroid BM cohorts and the first with complete NGS. The prevalence of BM in our cohort was higher than previously described, often diagnosed incidentally. Screening for BM in advanced thyroid cancer may detect higher rates, offering prognostic insights. While the number of BM was predictive of survival, molecular alterations did not predict BM development or survival and larger studies are needed.

Prognostic factors for patients with sarcoma with brain metastases.

e23542 Background: Sarcomas arise in mesenchymal tissue occurring anywhere in the body with a propensity to metastasize often to the lung, liver, and bones. The brain is a rare site of metastasis with increasing incidences found in those relapsing after prolonged disease control with treatment. Brain metastases development has been associated with dismal prognoses, and more data is necessary to assess factors for improved outcomes of patients. Methods: The retrospective cohort includes 81 patients diagnosed with sarcomas metastasizing to the brain treated at five sarcoma centers between 1/1998 and 12/2021. Demographic data, characteristics and presentation of brain metastases, and treatment modalities for malignancy were identified and analyzed. Results: In total, there were 45 men and 36 women with the mean age of diagnosis being 43 years. Upon presentation, 89% of patients were symptomatic with the most common presenting symptom being focal neurological deficits (37.9%) and headaches (22.1%). At the time of analysis, 58 patients (71.6%) had died of metastatic sarcoma, 16 patients (19.8%) were alive with disease, and 3 patients (3.7%) were alive without evidence of disease. The most frequent histologies were leiomyosarcoma (12.3%) and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (12.3%). In 70.4% of patients, the tumor also had metastasized to the lung. Median time from sarcoma diagnosis to brain metastases was 1.9 years (range: 0-34.6 yrs). Median time from diagnosis of brain metastases until death was 6 months (range: 0.5-330 mo). Treatment modalities of brain metastasis varied widely with 18 patients (22.2%) undergoing whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), 11 (13.6%) undergoing systemic chemotherapy and WBRT, and 10 (12.3%) undergoing combined surgery, systemic chemotherapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery. In multivariate analysis, the variables identified as statistically significant for predicting improved survival outcomes included surgery (HR 0.30) and chemotherapy (HR 0.24), but not radiation therapy. In patients undergoing surgery or chemotherapy, the median survival time after brain metastasis diagnosis was markedly improved, with 13.9 months and 12 months respectively versus the overall patient median of 6 months. In patients undergoing radiation therapy, there was significantly improved survival with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS, mOS 11.6mo) as opposed to whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT, mOS 8.3mo) probably due to decreased mean number of brain metastases found in those necessitating SRS (3.2) compared to WBRT (5.7). Conclusions: Together, our findings identify that patients with metastatic sarcoma to the brain have poor prognoses, often have concurrent metastasis, and have median survival of only 6 months. However, there were significantly improved outcomes with interventions such as surgery, chemotherapy, or SRS, suggesting that aggressive treatments are warranted despite the overall poor prognosis.

Comparative survival analysis of patients with HER2-low and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with or without brain metastases treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan.

1036 Background: Breast cancer outcomes vary among HER2-amplified and HER2 low-expression patients, particularly in the presence of brain metastases (BM). Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is FDA approved for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low and HER2-positive (HER2+) patients (pts). This study aims to evaluate the impact of T-DXd treatment on overall survival among HER2 low and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients with and without brain metastases (BM). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted by using de-identified data available from seven US-based health systems part of Guardian Research Network (GRN). Patients treated with T-DXd from December 2019 to December 2023 with a diagnosis of HER2 low (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 1 + or IHC 2+/negative with HER2 FISH non-amplified) and HER2+ (IHC 3+ or HER2+ and FISH amplified MBC were included. Median overall survival (mOS), calculated from the initiation of T-DXd treatment, was assessed using Kaplan-Meier Curve analysis and Log-rank test. Results: A total of 380 MBC pts were identified. Among these 231 (61.1%) were stratified as having HER2 low and 149 (38.9%) HER2+ MBC. Pts with HER2+ disease had a higher prevalence of BM (n=70; 47%) compared to HER2-low pts (n=55;23.8%). The median age at BM diagnosis was 60.5 years, range: 21.6 to 87.1 years. Within the entire BM group (n=125), there were more pts with ER+ disease (81.9%) in the HER2 low group compared to HER2+ group (55.8%, p=0.01). The majority of these patients had multiple prior lines of therapy. HER2+ BM pts had a median overall survival (mOS) of 9.3 months [CI: 6.79-11.88, log rank p &lt;0.001], compared to 4.3 months [CI: 1.89-6.82, log rank p &lt;0.001] in the HER2-low pts. Without BM, HER2+ pts had a mOS of 10.7 months [CI: 0.71-20.82, log rank p &lt;0.001], compared to 6 months [CI: 3.47-8.67, log rank p &lt;0.001] in the HER2-low pts. Conclusions: In this retrospective study of heavily pretreated MBC patients with multiple prior lines of therapy, pts with HER2+ MBC with and without BM had a longer mOS compared to those with HER2- low disease, suggesting HER2 expression as a key determinant of T-DXd efficacy. Poor survival in MBC patients without BM was attributed to pre-treatment with multiple lines of therapy. Future research should explore combination therapies and predictive biomarkers while conducting clinical trials to optimize treatment strategies for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients.