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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 9/2006

01-09-2006 | Original Article

Prognostic factors affecting the outcome of brain metastases from breast cancer

Authors: Mu-Tai Liu, Chang-Yao Hsieh, Ai-Yih Wang, Tung-Hao Chang, Chu-Pin Pi, Chia-Chun Huang, Chao-Yuan Huang, Cheng-Hong Liou

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 9/2006

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Abstract

Goals of work

The purpose of this study is to analyze the overall survival rate of patients with brain metastases from breast cancer and to determine prognostic factors affecting outcomes of these patients.

Patients and methods

From July 1988 to December 2004, 48 female patients with brain metastases from breast cancer underwent full-dose whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). In these patients we evaluated the significance of the following factors in predicting the survival rate after WBRT: age, extracranial metastases, number of brain metastases, total dose of WBRT, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class.

Results

The median overall survival rate was 7.3 months. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 37 and 20%, respectively. In univariate analysis, KPS (p<0.0001), number of lesions of brain metastases (p=0.0149), age (p=0.0452), and RPA class (p<0.0001) were statistically significant prognostic factors for overall survival. In multivariate analysis, KPS (p<0.001) and number of brain metastases (p=0.039) were significant prognostic factors for overall survival.

Conclusions

Survival of breast cancer patients with brain metastases treated with WBRT is poor. To improve survival, enrollment of more patients with brain metastases from breast cancer for prospective trials involving a multimodality approach that combines radiation and systemic therapies based on appropriate patient triage is warranted.
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Metadata
Title
Prognostic factors affecting the outcome of brain metastases from breast cancer
Authors
Mu-Tai Liu
Chang-Yao Hsieh
Ai-Yih Wang
Tung-Hao Chang
Chu-Pin Pi
Chia-Chun Huang
Chao-Yuan Huang
Cheng-Hong Liou
Publication date
01-09-2006
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 9/2006
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0029-6

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